


In the shadows

by orphan_account



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Feels, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fast Cars, Hydra (Marvel), Marvel Universe, Protective Bucky Barnes, SHIELD, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Top Phil Coulson, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:23:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2017863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set post CATWS after Bucky has regained his memory and is a probationary member of the Avengers team. Phil Coulson is alive and rebuilding Shield with the help of his new precision driver-turn-personal assistant, Theresa. Bucky and Steve come up against a mysterious new enemy together. Bucky Barnes has the hots for Coulson's PA</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys n girls, this is my first crack at writing something so be kind! I haven't read the comics but am a huge Marvel movie fan. This story literally came to me in a dream so if details are a bit sketchy that's why. Just writing for a bit of fun, I enjoyed reading everyone elses' work so much I thought I'd post mine. Hope you enjoy my dream as much as I did! Let me know what you think! ;)  
> 

The powerful V8 engine of the car roared as it accelerated through the city, ducking and weaving through traffic as it went. Phil Coulson looked over his shoulder from the passenger seat to check behind them as he re-loaded his hand gun.  
A leather gloved hand shot out to change gears again, hard and fast. His driver focused on the road, lips pursed and piercing blue eyes emotionless, cool and calculating their next move.  
Coulson only had a second to grab his backup gun and load that too before the car swerved violently again, missing what appeared to be a police car that had charged out from a side street. Both him and his driver knew this was no police chase. They glanced at each other and next thing he was hanging out the window shooting at tyres and windows, trying to disarm their attackers. He made three clear shots before he felt the car change gears again, and his driver grab him by his shirt and pull him back into the car before the handbrake was pulled up and they were sliding around a corner.  
A rocket launcher had fired and missed their car by inches, hitting the cars behind them in a powerful explosion that had the windows of the nearby building blowing out.  
Coulson looked across at his driver as he exhaled, smiled and nodded gratefully. That rocket had been meant for them.  
They sped off into the night gaining distance from the fire in the rear-view mirror. They were safe this time. 

"Good morning everyone" Coulson's voice filled the meeting room as he strode in. Sat at a long table were the avengers team. It was a bright room high up in the new building which Tony had supplied for them. It was full of state-of-the-art technology and everything was shiny and new. Well, the completed parts anyway.  
The meeting had been called in light of the incident the night before last involving the car chase. It was no secret Hydra were rebuilding since the Helli-carriers went down in DC all those months ago.  
Steve Rogers looked over at his friend Bucky Barnes who sat across the table from him. He had been found after D.C unconscious, battered and broken, a good Samaritan having dropped him on Tony Stark's doorstep. He had been through months of rehabilitation, therapy, had his arm upgraded and had been on 24/7 watch. His memory had come back piece by piece, often complete with violent outbursts, but it had been months without him acting out and he had found a way to get past his anger and control it. As it turns out, he had become quite good friends with Bruce Banner during that time, and had even become part of the agent training program, teaching combat skills to new SHIELD members.  
Bucky looked over and smiled fondly at Steve, giving a nod to signify he was ok. He had only been to a couple of Coulson's meetings, this was the first one following an incident. He sat looking out the window gazing off into space with that thoughtful look on his face he always had.

"So, by now you probably all know that I was involved in a car chase on Wednesday night..." Phil began his story. Tony already had CCTV footage of parts of the chase before he had wiped them from their sources to keep them away from the media. He had projected the grainy footage onto the wall of the boardroom as Coulson spoke, everyone gasping the moment the car began to slide, and the rocket missing them by a whisker.  
"I think you should give your driver a raise - he saved your butt!" Tony quipped. Steve shot him an angry look across the table, and Coulson rolled his eyes.  
The image loop was removed from the wall as the story continued and afterward there was an open discussion on their next move.  
There was a light beep that came from the glass door leading into the boardroom as a young lady pulled her access card out and swiped it. The doors unlocked with a click and she walked in backwards, pushing the door open with her shoulder as she came through holding a stack of files against her chest with one arm and a large Starbucks coffee in the other hand. She held the door open with her foot and stepped in, letting it close behind her. She wore skinny jeans and heels, a satin top and a cropped jacket which showed her slim, athletic figure. Her long straight ash-blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail with a few bangs left out which framed her face. She kept her head down as if wanting to slip in unnoticed, and placed coffee in front of Coulson who seemed to ignore her as he continued talking.

The room was silent, and everyone was looking at the girl who had since made her way to the end of the table, back to the window, sat and silently placed the files down in front of her. She began quietly flicking through the paperwork, not looking at anyone. She pulled the pen that she had poked through her ponytail out and put a star next to a few lines on one of the pages, before passing the sheet to Coulson. 

They both looked up realizing they were being watched.  
"Guys, this is Theresa... 'Tee' She's my assistant." Coulson said, gesturing towards her, impatiently wanting to get back to the discussion. Tee looked up and gave them a smile and nod before getting back to her papers, circling and dotting points as she went. She occasionally handed Coulson sheets during the meeting, which he then read out loud to the team. There had been sightings of Hydra agents, suspicious behaviour around secure areas, and data robberies from police stations, and even the Smithsonian. 

After the meeting there was the usual back and fourth banter between everyone. Tee went to chat to Coulson quietly in the corner. He took the files from her, placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly, giving her a nod to seemingly thank her.  
She left his side to go to the coffee machine at the back of the room. She pulled out a cup, placed it under the machine and pressed the button. Nothing happened. Why didn't the stupid thing work Tee though to herself. Right on cue Tony slid up next to her, hit a few buttons and the machine came to life.  
"Tony Stark" He said, taking her hand. "At your service" he said kissing her knuckles.  
Tee blushed and giggled, looking down at her feet and then back up again. "Theresa Harvey" came her reply.  
"You are just delicious, how would you like to come work for me? Whatever he's paying ya, I'll double it" He nodded towards Coulson and gave her a sly wink as he looked her up and down.  
"That's no way to speak to a lady" came the voice of Steve Rogers as he pushed Tony aside playfully. He reached out to shake Tee's hand "Steve Rogers, miss. Pleasure to meet you."  
"Tee Harvey" she replied with a warm smile.  
"This here is Bucky Barnes" he said gesturing to his friend who stepped in to shake hands with her as well.  
"Nice to meet you, Bucky" she said, holding his gaze. He gave her a cheeky wink to which she chuckled at, immediately looking down to her feet. The others had left at this point, Tony had slipped out to take Pepper's call, leaving Tee chatting with the two super-soldiers.  
"It's a shame you didn't get to meet Bruce and Nat" Steve said.  
"Maybe tomorrow I will" She smiled back up to him. Bucky shot her a grin and again she got lost in those unbelievably blue eyes. She shook her head and looked down at her watch which had twisted around to the underside of her wrist. She cursed at herself.  
"I'm so sorry guys, it was lovely to meet you but I've gotta run." She said, suddenly realizing the time.  
"Where you off to in such a hurry?" Bucky asked.  
"I drive for Phil, I was supposed to pick the GTO up to take him into the city tonight, since the other car is in for repairs" She said thoughtfully.  
"You're Coulson's driver?" The men both said together, surprised. |  
"Yeah" she replied with a wink. "See ya later fellas" she said with a smile and a wave as she darted out of the room.

Steve looked over at Bucky who's eyes were still on the door as it closed. He gave him a nudge and a smirk, teasing him  
"Oh shut up..." Bucky shoved him back. "She sure was cute though wasn't she" He added, one side of his mouth curling up into a devious smile.


	2. Chapter 2

The weeks had gone by without much change, Theresa had gotten to know Steve, Bucky and Tony quite well. She was glad to call them friends, and they all had a great re-pore with one and other. She had met Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner and even Nick Fury finally. Natasha and Nick had left to go on some secret mission overseas, and Bruce was off doing his own thing somewhere else in the world now that he had finished working with Bucky for the time being.  
Thor was in Asgard looking after things in his own realm, and there were no plans of him coming back to Earth any time soon unless he was urgently needed.  
Coulson was in charge of all missions in the meantime, and everyone was pretty impressed the work he was doing. Nick had even mentioned taking a leave of absence when him and Natasha were done in Russia.  
Steve was their main man back at HQ and Bucky was in training, learning the ins and outs of Shield, the Avengers, and pretty much finding his feet.  
Day after day there was the usual meeting between the three of them. Tee would come in at 10:00am every morning with Coulsons coffee and pass on any notes as needed. Sometimes she would stay, and sometimes she would have her own work to do down the hall. She was quite enjoying her new routine, and her work.

Theresa sighed as she got back into the car. She'd run all her errands, and she was finally on her way home for the night. She put her foot down once she was out on the open road, feeling her body getting sucked into the seat as the engine roared. She smiled to herself, enjoying the moment.  
Her exit was coming up and she wondered if Marcus was at home tonight. He had been distant with her and for a long time she thought he was having an affair. She thumbed her engagement ring... No, the house had been bugged, she would have known... Something was definitely not right with him. For a moment she considered continuing past the exit and she found herself fantasizing about running away with Coulson's beautiful car.  
No. Don't be stupid. She flicked her indicator on and made the turn, if Marcus was quiet tonight, she would book him a doctors appointment.

She pushed the key into the lock and let herself in, the lights were on and sure enough there he was on in the armchair by the window. She dropped her bag on the hall table and made her way across the room, lightly planting a kiss on his forehead.  
"How are you honey?" she asked, brushing her hand over his hair. He smiled up at her. His eyes looked very tired and his skin was pale.  
"Tired to be honest!" he replied "How was work?"  
"It was a long day - meetings, paperwork and then had to run Mr Coulson out to the city" She said, sinking onto the arm rest of the chair. They continued with their small talk for a short while before she mustered up the courage to ask him if everything was okay. She was worried about him, he hadn't been himself for weeks.  
"I'm just tired" He said for the second time, lowering his gaze. She put her hand on his cheek and looked into his face, concerned.  
"I'm just worried, you haven't been yourself. I thought maybe a visit to the doc-"  
"I'M TIRED" he was yelling at her now, frustrated. He roughly took hold of her wrist and glared into her eyes with a look of warning. "Don't push me Theresa, I'm not in the mood. I'm going to bed." and with that he let go of her and trudged off, slamming the bedroom door behind him. She frowned and rubbed her wrist where he had held it. His moods were so quick to change. He was hiding something and she was determined to find out what it was.

 

Theresa pulled the retractable cord at her jeans pocket and swiped her access card. It was 10am on the dot and like the day before, she strode into the boardroom, placed Coulson's coffee in front of him, and went and sat in the empty chair at the end of the table. She pulled out her paperwork and started passing the pages she has prepared that morning to him as he addressed the others. Today it was only Steve and Bucky in the room. Damn, she was hoping to talk to Tony... He would know how to go about checking the phone lines, accessing recorded phone conversations, checking what time Marcus left the house and returned... She was sure he was having an affair now, why else would he be so touchy and tired all the time... Why els-  
"Miss Harvey!" Coulson repeated now. Shit. She was not with it today.  
"Sorry!" she said quickly, shaking her head. 'Focus, Tee' she scolded herself.  
The meeting was a quick one, and she was the first to leave after it was done. She darted out the door after handing the files over and was on the phone to Tony's floor as soon as she could pull her phone from her pocket.  
"That's not like her..." Bucky said, concerned. Coulson shook his head in confusion and shrugged.  
"I've never seen her like that, she's always on the ball. I might have to find out what's going on..." He trailed off. "But for now you two have a lot of work to do. Steve I need you to go debrief Stark - god knows where he is, and Bucky you have your two recruits waiting for you in the training room. They are having their first mission tonight so make sure they're sharp" He said, keeping his expression serious.

 

Tony was more than happy to check the phone bugs in Theresa's house. He said it may take some sifting though, and she was grateful when he gave her instructions to do it herself. She wasn't 100% comfortable with Tony Stark delving into her personal life if she was honest about it! She thanked him and tucked the USB drive into her organiser and zipped it up. She would go through it on the weekend. She stopped by the caffeteria in the main entrance and had a coffee and found herself relaxing.  
Her phone buzzed with a message from Coulson. 'Meet me at the Training room. Third floor, room 14.'  
The elevator doors opened and she made her way down the long corridor, counting the room numbers as she went. She got to 14 and opened the door and went through, not paying much attention. Suddenly a metal arm flew out and grabbed her around the waist, Bucky had pulled her into his chest and was holding her tightly in his arms, just in time for one of the recruits to land a flying fist into the pad on the wall. She stood shaking, realizing that had Bucky not dragged her out of the way, she would have worn that punch.  
"Don't you watch where you're going!?" Bucky scolded her. She wriggled free from his grip and hand on her chest catching her breath she shook her head, still shocked.  
"Coulson asked me to meet him here... I... You're so fast... Thank you!" She mumbled to him, tripping up on her words. His mouth turned up into a lop-sided smile.  
"Anytime, Doll" He said, giving her a wink.  
"So, I see you've met our new recruits" Coulson suddenly appeared behind her. She panicked and nodded.  
"This is Justin, and this is Daniel" he said, gesturing to both in turn. "Men, this is Theresa" he added. "As you were, men" he said before pulling Tee aside.  
"I need you to go on a mission tonight. There has been another data robery from a system in a city warehouse. All you have to do is get these guys in, and get them out again safely. They will be retrieving hard drives and CCTV equipment. That is all you need to know. It is an easy first mission for them, but it needs to be stealth. No lights, no noise and speed is of the utmost importance." He said.  
"The men have been debriefed already, they just need a fast getaway driver. That's it." He added. Theresa nodded her head  
"I need you cool, I need you calm." He said, lowering his voice.  
"Put me behind the wheel of a car I have ice in my veins. I'll do it" She said.  
"Be here at 2400 hours tonight" He said finally. "The car will be ready and waiting"

 

Theresa looked at her watch, it was almost midnight when she pulled into the car-park and got out. She pulled her leather fingerless gloves on and flexed her hands into fists before relaxing them again. She rolled her shoulders back and stretched her neck from side to side. Her muscles were feeling loose and she could feel the excitement in her belly. She could hear the purr of their ride as it pulled up and the engine was cut. Four cylinders were definitely much quieter than the V8's she had been driving for Phil. She strode over to the black car and watched as Coulson got out.  
Bucky was with them, going over a few things before they were due to set off. Theresa unzipped her leather jacket and slid it off, listening to him give his instructions carefully. They were all dressed in black - the guys in combat gear, and Theresa in a racer-back tank top, black stretch pants and their standard issue lace up combat boots.  
Coulson gave her her instructions. She was given compact stealth night-vision goggles which looked a bit like a pair of sunglasses, and directions into the warehouse. They were to go in without lights and the men were to be in and out again in less than 5 minutes. They would meet back here afterward.  
"Don't be nervous, all you have to do is drive, that's it. Get them to their location, wait in the car, and get em back again. Just drive." He said. "Just drive. Got it" She nodded.  
"Good luck" He finally said, and gave her a pat on the shoulder.   
Justin and Daniel got in the back of the car and Theresa walked around to get in the drivers seat.  
"Take care, Doll-face" Bucky called out to her, his mouth curled up into a lop-sided smile. She threw her jacket to him.  
"Don't wait up, cowboy" She replied with a wink as she slid into the seat and closed the door. She chuckled to herself as she put the tinted window up. 'Bucky Barnes and his flirty banter...' she thought to herself with a half-cocked smile.  
She started the engine and buckled her seat-belt, ice water flowing through her veins now. She shivered.  
"Ready boys?" she asked.  
"Ready" They replied nervously in unison.  
The car pulled out of the parking lot and sped into the night

Coulson stood next to Bucky in the parking lot, watching as the car accelerate off into the dark. The breeze whipped at Bucky's hair and they both shivered.  
"Follow them" is all Coulson had to say, and Bucky was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

The black car weaved through the traffic effortlessly before making a right down a narrow alleyway. It was then that Theresa turned the headlights off and slipped the night vision glasses on. She gripped the wheel and put her foot down, if they had been noticed, they wouldn't have much time. They sped between the rows of buildings in darkness, dodging wooden crates and dumpsters as they went. She changed gears hard and fast, eyes glancing in the rear-view mirror for a second before looking forward again. Lips pressed together and eyes focused.  
They hadn't been followed from what they could see, but time was of the essence still. They must hurry was all she'd been told.  
They took a left and the alley opened up into what seemed like a loading dock. They stopped at the gate and Daniel got out to cut the padlock with his bolt-cutters and he waved them in. Theresa pulled the car around and backed it up against the side of the roller door against the building. The shadow cast by the wall hid the car perfectly. Justin took her phone and set a timer for 5 minutes before handing it back.  
"Lock the doors when we go, if we're not back by the time that clock runs out... Run." His words sent a chill up her spine. She wished she knew more about the mission other than to 'just drive' was there a threat? Should she be afraid? Should she be ARMED?!  
She nodded as took the phone from Justin and sat it in the door jam where it wouldn't attract attention. The recruits took a back pack each and as they gently and quietly pressed their doors shut, Theresa reached over and hit the central locking. She was safe and hidden.  
4:59, 4:58, 4:57... She watched as the timer counted down, and sank lower into her seat, waiting silently.  
3:38, 3:37, 3:36 when she looked at it again. She felt sick and was eager to get going again. 

Something caught her eye.

A man was scaling the cyclone fencing opposite her, in the moonlight she could tell he was tall, broad and strong. He swung his leg over the fence and dropped the full 8 feet, landing softly, not wanting to be heard. She saw him crouch as he moved quickly to the side of the building and creep his way to the roller door like a cat ready to pounce.  
He was dressed from head to toe in black combat gear and he was masked and wore gloves.  
She lowered herself in her seat even further, not wanting to be seen.  
3:11, 3:10, 3:09... She heard footsteps approaching the car, and felt herself start to shake. Shit. She was no good at this, why didn't she say no? She could have been at home with a glass of wine...  
The footsteps stopped. Theresa held her breath, looking up with her eyes, not game enough to move her head. He was looking in the window. She jammed her eyes shut and waited. She heard movement again, she hadn't been seen. She felt her body relax and relief swept over her.  
*CRASH* An elbow came through the window, covering her in glass. Quick as lightening a strong arm shot in and grabbed her, pulling her back out through the window and pressing her body against the car before laying a punch across her jaw, and then a second one straight after. She didn't even have time to scream.  
Next thing she knew she was being dragged by a hand around her throat and thrown onto the bonnet of the car with a loud thud where he pinned her there. She opened her eyes and found herself looking down the barrel of a pistol, and behind that she saw her attackers dark, menacing eyes glaring at her. He was so cold, so angry. She jammed her eyes shut and waited for the bang, but instead her attacker holstered his gun, cursed under his breath, dropped her back on the ground and disappeared into the shadows. Why had he spared her?  
She stayed where he dropped her, floating in and out of consciousness as she tried to get up, only to sink back down again. She heard footsteps running towards her, she hoped they belonged to Justin and Daniel. Where the hell WERE they!?  
Tears began to spill down her face as she gasped for air. She could taste blood in her mouth. She tried to get up again but was disorientated, her ears were ringing and everything was blurry and fading.  
Strong arms picked her up and laid her gently onto the car bonnet. She forced her heavy eyelids open and found herself looking into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Then black again.  
"Tee?!... Tee!!??" A voice urgently tried to rouse her. Bucky?? It couldn't be. But it was. He reached into the car and got something out of the glove-box. She fought to keep her eyes open and watched him as he pulled the cap off a needle, flick the syringe twice, and stuck it into her arm, pressing the plunger.  
"There you go baby, you'll feel better in a few seconds" He said, hand on her cheek. He brushed the glass off the drivers seat and placed her in it, buckling her in. Was he serious? There was no way she was fit to drive. Surely someone else could do it. Her head was pounding, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Ears ringing and vision blurred she turned her head and tried to focus on his face.  
"I can't..." Was all she managed to choke out. He smoothed her hair back out of her face, and took her hands, placed each of them on the steering wheel.  
"You can, and you WILL" He said back to her forcefully. His face softened and he placed a hand on her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb as the other pulled his gun from it's holster. He ducked down and looked over his shoulder. They heard shots fired from inside the building and Theresa's heart began to race. Bucky leaned into the car and turned the ignition key, bringing the engine to life before he took off out the gate and slipped between two buildings in the alleyway, and then he was gone.  
She shook her head and rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the drowsy feeling. Her heart was racing and she began to feel somewhat alive again. Adrenalin, he must have injected her with Adrenalin she thought.  
She looked at the phone screen, and watched the time elapse. Two figures running fast from the warehouse. Thank god, they had gotten out!  
"GO, GO, GO!!!" Justin yelled as they jumped in.  
Theresa threw it into first and they roared off, not caring what attention they drew. She had to get them outta there.  
Her head felt groggy but her reflexes seemed to be coming back to her as they raced down the alleyway. Shots were fired behind them. She threw her foot into the clutch and changed gears, making the engine scream as the car took off like a bullet.  
They ducked and weaved through traffic, running a red light and only just dodging a minivan. They darted into a side street to avoid the freeway and took the back roads to get back to HQ. It was a relief when they realized they were no longer being followed. It would take longer to get back going this way, but at least they were safe.  
She didn't even remember most of the drive back, her body going into autopilot as it guided the car through the narrow streets.  
She pulled into the parking lot in time to see Coulson run from the back door, and Bucky in the GTO come sliding in aggressively beside them.  
Justin and Daniel were already out of the car with their bags and being ushered into the building by Coulson, as Bucky ran to Theresa's door and opened it, crouching to look at her. Her hands were still gripping the wheel and she was shaking, staring straight ahead still, not blinking. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes to get her attention but she didn't move. He pried her fingers from the wheel and helped her from the car, picking her up and carrying her into the building. The injection was wearing off, but they were safe and the recruits had succeeded in their mission.

 

She woke in a sterile, white room. There was a male nurse in blue scrubs tending to her woulds, removing glass and she had a drip in her left hand. The lights on the roof were blurry and the room was spinning, she felt like she was going to be sick. The nurse looked into her face when he realized she was awake.  
"Marcus" she said... "Call Marcus" and then she was out.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve and Coulson sat in the board room alone that following morning, Bucky hadn't turned up to go over last night's mission, and when 10:00am rolled around there was nobody to bring Coulson his coffee or pass his notes.  
"What went wrong, Phil?" Steve finally asked. Coulson looked at him, choosing his words carefully before he spoke.  
"The mission was a success" He said, raising his hand to Steve to keep quiet as he went on.  
"We have the CCTV footage of the Data theft, we've had a look at our guy and we also have the information they were trying to steal. I have a team of analysts going over it as we speak." He said, looking down now... "I'm not happy that Tee got hurt, but she's gonna be okay, she's getting the best of care right now" He added keeping his voice low. 

There was a beep at the glass door, both men looked up to see Bucky swipe his card and stride into the room, letting his chair screech on the floor as he sat heavily into it. He didn't look anyone in the eye and sat there clenching his jaw as if he was about to explode.  
"Nice of you to join us, Mr Barnes" Coulson remarked.  
Piercing blue eyes shot up and glared at him, angrily. Bucky's hands closed into fists and then relaxed again. He looked away and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again in a moment, changing his mind. He took a deep breath.

"How is she?" Steve asked.  
"She's been better" Came Bucky's reply. He shot a look at Coulson, finally deciding to speak his mind.  
"What the hell were you thinking, sending a girl into a mission with no combat training, no self defense skills what-so-ever, completely unarmed and alone?" He snarled.  
Coulson opened his mouth to speak but was cut off again.  
"You KNEW this guy was out there. You KNEW that he was Hydra, and you KNEW he was targeting Shield agents. Intelligence even had the fucking photos to prove it." Bucky added, slamming his fist against the table, causing it to shake.  
Steve turned to Coulson, not believing what he had heard...  
"Is this true Phil?" He demanded. Coulsons hands shot up in self defense.  
"We did NOT knowingly send anyone into danger. Hydra DOES have a new weapon, and our research tells us that they only use him on major missions" He said, raising his voice. "We don't know what the hell he was doing there, especially given the theft had already taken place earlier that week. Why would they show up to steal the same information twice? If I thought for one second that she wouldn't be safe, I would never have let her go!" He said, defending himself, angry now.  
"I'm glad you got there in time to scare him off, I would have never forgiven myself if she'd gotten herself killed" Coulson added, softening his voice.  
"You mean if YOU'D gotten her killed" Bucky snarled back at him and stood up, knocking his chair over and he stormed out of the room.  
Coulson breathed a deep breath, and gathered his things. He stood up quietly and nodded at Steve.  
"Meeting adjourned" is all he said.  
"Phil..." Steve called out after him. Coulson stopped and turned around. "Where do we go from here?"  
Coulson took a deep breath.  
"They call him 'Shadow' and he doesn't just... Let people live. I don't know why he spared her." He began, speaking very slowly. "We need to dig up all we can on this guy, and find out what information Hydra are getting their hands on, what data is being stolen and why." Coulson said.  
"We have a lot of work to do. No-one is to go on missions without firearms or combat training - whether they're an agent, a driver or the damn lunch lady. I'm going to see where Intelligence are at with pulling information from those hard drives, and Tony is pulling CCTV footage. I need you to go sort that 'friend' of yours out. If he wants to work on MY team, he needs to learn his place. I have agents that need training and he will need your help, before we can send anyone else out." He added before leaving the room.  
Steve nodded, took a deep breath and went to find Bucky.

 

"How are you feeling Tee?" Coulson asked. Guilt had gotten the better of him and he had stopped by to see her in the infirmary. Her face was swollen and she had a slight black eye on one side. She had various bits ot tape here and there from all the glass they pulled out and was on a drip and antibiotics in case of infection. The pain medication was obviously working as she was quite drowsy.  
She stared up at him with an expression he couldn't quite read.  
"I'll be okay" She mumbled back to him quietly. "Where's Marcus?"  
"We got in touch with him last night" Coulson said "He couldn't get a flight back until tomorrow, so he should be here the day after that. We'll take good care of you till then" He promised smiling to her and he reached over and smoothed her hair away from her face.  
"You had me worried, kid" He added.  
She winced as she shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. The nurse came back over and peered at the machine by her bedside, jotted something in his clipboard and smiled at Coulson.  
"She needs her rest" He said as politely as he could. Coulson nodded, and reached over to give Tee's hand a squeeze before he stood up.  
"Hope you feel better soon, kid" He said to her with a smile, and then he was gone. 

 

Steve found Bucky in training room 14, laying into a punching bag, a sheen of sweat visible on his skin.  
Without a word they both looked at one and other, Bucky pausing for a moment before adding one last punch with his metal arm, grunting with the force. The bag broke free from the roof and flew across the room.  
"Letting off some steam?" Steve said as he approached his friend.  
"Could say that..." Came Bucky's reply as he took a long gulp from his water bottle. Steve gave Bucky's shoulder a friendly slap and smiled at him.  
"You okay?" He asked. "Haven't seen you this wound up for a while"  
Bucky let out a deep breath and shook his head, lost for words for a moment. "I just don't get it. He sends her in helpless... What did he expect would happen?" He said, exasperated. "I watched the guy drag her out of the car through a broken glass window, beat her in the face, choke the life out of her and stick a gun in her face... I couldn't get the fast enough. What if I hadn't been there?" He said, his voice trailing off. Steve took a deep breath.  
"Thank god you got there when you did, Buck." He said, giving Bucky a pat on the shoulder. Bucky frowned and took a deep breath, shaking his head.  
"I shouldn't have HAD to save her. She should NEVER have been there." He said, his voice darkening. "I don't want her going on anymore missions." He declared angrily.  
"I've known you since we were kids, Buck. I know how you are, but you can't get too wound up in this. It's not your job to worry about her-" Steve was cut off  
"I can't HELP it." He spat. "If she were my girl she wouldn't have been there"  
"She's NOT your girl" Steve raised his voice. "You have a big heart, Buck. You worry about people you care about, you looked out for me when we were kids..." Steve's voice was much softer now. "She has a fiance, Buck, and you know it." He said finally. "You know it damn well."  
Bucky looked up at him.  
"Yeah? And where the hell is he?" He replied, picking the punching bag back up.

 

Steve and Bucky had been flat out training agents. Coulson had stayed true to his word and every Shield member who would be going on missions, regardless of their role, was given basic combat training, and also firearms training with his gun experts downstairs.  
Theresa was feeling better, swelling had come down and she had been up on her feet, allowed to go for short walks around the building. Marcus would arrive tonight and she was looking forward to seeing him, and being able to go home. Shield protocol meant that as per usual, she was not permitted to tell him what had happened. After a lengthy chat with Coulson, they decided that all Marcus needed to know, was what he already knew. Theresa was a PA and chauffeur. Her injuries were decidedly from a car accident of which she was not at fault, and she had had no memory of how it happened. It was perfect.  
Coulson had spoken with Marcus that night over the phone and explained there had been a crash, and that Theresa was in their care. Marcus had been concerned, and had promised to be on the next available flight home, which had unfortunately been a three day wait, and obviously was not something he could control. It had worked out great for Theresa, the hand - shaped bruises on her neck had had the chance to fade, and all that was left aside from the bruise under her eye were cuts, scrapes and tender, sore ribs. 

 

Bucky sat in the training room. His last agent of the day had just finished their training and gone home. Tired, he ran a hand through his shoulder length brown hair and breathed a deep breath before standing up to gather his things. He'd slipped on a fresh t-shirt and washed his face in the basin in the corner. Guess it was finally knock-off time he thought to himself.  
There was a knock at the door and his heart sank. Argh not another one! He thought he had been done for the night. He looked at his watch, it was after 6:00, Phil must be punishing him.  
"Come in" he barked, dropping his gym bag back on the bench under the window, exasperated. The knock came again, and didn't stop.  
He clenched his jaw and stomped over to the door, yanking it open angrily.  
The small figure in front of him stood with her hand still raised where she had been knocking. He smiled, it was Theresa. He pulled her in for a hug, being careful not to hurt her.  
"What are you doing out?" He asked her, surprised.  
"Marcus is on his way to pick me up, I thought I'd get my hero to walk me down to the lobby just in case trouble was out there with my name on it" she teased, giving him a playful shove. He chuckled and cocked his head to one side. "I suppose I could do that for you" He said with a big smile as he gathered his things back up.  
"You are such a cowboy" She laughed at him.  
"Lil lady, you have no idea" He joked back, giving her a wink. "Come on in, I won't be a minute" He said, gesturing at the bench for her to sit. She smiled and wandered over to the window, letting herself sit down slowly, wincing as she leaned against the wall.  
"How are you feeling?" He asked, as he walked back towards her. He lifted her chin with his cool metal fingertips and inspected her face where the swelling had been. "You look great" He added with a smile before letting her go again and sitting beside her. She chuckled and looked down to the floor.  
"Feeling much better" She said, looking back up "Just my back hurts from the, um... Yeah, when he pushed me" Sher voice trailed off, the painful memory of the attack returning to her. Bucky frowned, not sure what to say.  
"I never did thank you for getting to me when you did. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't of scared him off..." Her blue eyes looked into his with an expression of heartfelt gratitude. He gave a sympathetic smile that reached his eyes and gave her hand a squeeze.  
"Anytime, Doll" He said softly. He let her go and stood up, leaning down for a moment to pick his gym bag up. He held helped her up and they walked out to the corridor together, Bucky flicking the lights out, and closing the door behind them. They walked together, chatting as they went. Bucky - ever the gentleman- had insisted on carrying her heavy bag for her, and she had reluctantly let him. 'Always the knight in shining armor' she though to herself. 'Well, knight made partly out of armor' she thought, glancing at his metal arm and she let out a giggle and shook her head to herself.

Marcus was out front of the building, waiting outside the locked glass door. Bucky swiped his access card and the latch flew back, letting them out into the crisp air.  
"Baby are you okay?" Marcus said, his voice and face full of concern. He hugged her tightly, loosening his grip when she flinched. He hadn't meant to hurt her. "Sorry" he mouthed, and she smiled weakly and raised her hand for him not to worry about it.  
"I'm Bucky" came a voice behind him. As he turned around there was Bucky with his hand out to shake. They shook and introduced themselves to one and other, each seemingly sizing the other one up as they did.  
Marcus opened the back of the car, Bucky passed Tee's bag over to him to load in.  
"Thank you Bucky" she said sincerely and leaned in to give him another hug. Marcus glared at Bucky with dark eyes. 'Hmm... A bit possessive are we?' he thought to himself, shooting Marcus a smug, crooked smile.  
"Okay baby, lets get you home" Marcus said, breaking the moment. He opened the door for her, helped her into the car and closed the door. She let the window down to say goodbye again. Marcus gave Bucky a short nod, dryly muttering something along the lines of 'Nice to meet you' before he got in the drivers seat.  
"Take care, Dollface!" Bucky called through the open car window with a cheeky smirk.  
"You got it cowboy" She joked back, laughing.  
The car revved loudly and before it sped off he caught Marcus shooting a glare at Theresa. Bucky bit his lip, suddenly hoping he hadn't gone too far and gotten her into trouble with her fiance.  
"No, it's fine" he reassured himself out loud and shook the thought out of his head. He swiped his card to get back in the building and opened the door, pausing on the way in to watch the car's tail-lights disappear over the hill. A lump formed in his throat. Marcus might be a possessive dick, but he still had the girl. He sighed to himself and pursed his lips. As long as she was happy and he treated her right, it was none of his business to interfere, he decided.  
But he would be watching to make sure...


	5. Chapter 5

Theresa pulled the quilt up to her chin and snuggled back into the couch, a smile creeping across her face as she enjoyed her movie. She'd been home resting for a couple of days, not doing a whole lot. She sipped her coffee and looked up out the front window, admiring the late morning sunshine.  
Marcus was sat at the dining table, working away at something important on his laptop.  
"You know you're a dead ringer for Billy Zane" Theresa suddenly piped up, pointing at the TV screen. Marcus chuckled back as he looked up at the screen, and then back over to her.  
"You think so, huh?" He said back, brushing his dark hair back. "Well remind me to invest in a purple lycra suit and a white horse" He laughed.  
"You'd fill it out, look at all those new muscles! The kickboxing and gym time is paying off, babe" She said admiringly.  
It had been great having him home over the weekend. They had talked, and aside for him ducking out at night for his kickboxing class, they had spent some quality time with one and other.  
He had been full of questions about work, what she'd been upto, what was going on with the Avengers (he was a huge fan) and of course, about Bucky. There wasn't much she was allowed to talk about as far as work went, he understood this, but it didn't stop him asking all the same. She told him the Avengers team were well, keeping busy, and Bucky was a good friend of hers. He had pressed the issue, not liking how close they seemed. She had never seen him take such a sudden disliking to someone. He pushed her about it, and they had argued. Another mood-swing, oh joy.  
Today had been better, he'd been at that computer all day, but his disposition had been a friendly one.  
His phone vibrated on the table, and he frowned as he picked it up, flipping it open as he left the room. Minutes later he came back out, packing his laptop up and taking it back into the bedroom with him, she could hear him gathering things.  
He came out with an overnight bag and an apologetic look on his face.  
"Wilkins is sick, looks like I am taking his place and headed out to a conference in Chicago for a few days." He explained.  
"Oh..." She said.  
"Sorry to run out in such a hurry, he's just gotten back from his doctor and hasn't got the OK to fly. I'm the only other person who knows enough about the new hardware to give the presentation." He said quickly as he strode over to her, planting a swift kiss on her forehead before she could say another word.  
"Wish me luck!" He called, and just like that he was gone. He really IS The Phantom after all, she mused to herself.  
When the movie was finished she found herself wandering around, bored out of her brain. The internet was playing up, she'd already seen all their movies 100 times. She'd cleaned the house, straightened her hair, gone through her wardrobe, tried to call a couple of friends who ended up being busy.  
She wondered how the guys at work were. Wondered how Tony had gone getting information about the creepy masked man. Wondered if anyone had made Coulson a coffee. Wondered if Bucky was stirring up trouble. She pictured his crooked smile and those blue eyes...  
"Screw it" she finally said, picking up her keys and pulling her boots on over her skinny jeans.

 

Tony strutted across the room purposefully. He was surrounded by screens, and before them stood Coulson, Steve and Bucky, eagerly waiting to hear what he'd come up with.  
"So" He started, gesturing up at the center of the room as a screen dropped down. "Hydra are rebuilding as any of us would have guessed. They know we have their frozen little friend here" He said, gesturing at Bucky, who rolled his eyes.  
"But, from what we've found - they're not planning on taking him back again... Yeah sorry buddy" He said, feigning sympathy and breathing in through his teeth.  
"Get on with it, Stark" Bucky snapped.  
"Right. So we have found it's a bit of an inconvenience wiping memories and freezing. Re-setting re-freezing, defrosting, electric shock therapy... You get the picture. It's a clumsy process, and it's too easy to drop the ball if said 'weapon' was to regain their memories. People tend to not like being FORCED to... Work." His voice trailed off at the last word. He snapped his fingers and asked JARVIS to bring up the picture he needed.  
"Okay. This brings us to the next development at Hydra - codenamed 'Shadow'. This happy little guy is their new weapon. He has had a super-soldier serum like you guys, not quite the same, but close enough. Here's where it gets good - he's not the one GIVING orders, he's the one dishing them out. He answers to himself, of course in the greater good of Hydra. A bit like a sub-contractor" He explained. They didn't get it.  
Tony rolled his eyes.  
"He plans the missions and is also the one to carry them out, alone. No brainwashing is required. It's a bit of a 'you want something done right - do it yourself' kinda deal. No worker bee's, they just send out the Queen. Bam, the job gets done right, first time, every time. Hydra have goals that need to be fulfilled. Obviously we don't know what they all are - one of them is compromising Shield - hence the Data thefts. It was all Shield information." He said.  
"Don't worry, they didn't get anything overly useful. Turns out their USB hacking drives are pretty useless. Probably Hammer Tech." He mused.  
"How does Hydra expect to keep him on their side if he's allowed to do whatever he pleases?" Bucky said. "They don't work like that - it's their way or the highway" He added.  
"Ahhh, excellent question Mr Barnes!" Tony exclaimed. "There is always a catch. Great power always comes at a price. His serum, from what we've found, does not have permanent effects. We can't be sure how long it lasts without getting a sample, but we do know he gets a shot before going on a mission, and the effects - increased speed, strength, heightened reflexes - DO eventually wear off. If he decides to betray Hydra, his 'powers' will wear off, and he will be left as just an ordinary guy. Failure means that somebody ELSE gets to play Queen Bee." He explains.  
"Seems like a risky move sending their 'Queen Bee' out into the firing line. It's too easy to knock out the top of the food chain, he's vulnerable" Steve interjected  
"Yeah, true..." Tony said "BUT, there are a heap of benefits too. No middleman. No confusion between soldiers. Plausible deniability - someone gets captured and tortured, they won't spill the beans because they don't have information. Don't get me wrong - he goes out HEAVILY guarded, but all their recruits know to do, is to keep him safe. Plus there's the added insurance to Hydra that if he betrays them, his strength wears off and he's helpless to them. They can pick him off." Tony explained thoughtfully. "And check it out, they were able to recycle your old outfit!" He quipped, looking over at a less-than-impressed Bucky.  
Coulson was impressed and had thanked Tony for his detective work.  
"I think it's just about time for some lunch" He said, and everyone agreed, heading to the boardroom together. 

 

Coulson was delighted when he finally swiped his access card and entered the room. Lunch was laid out, and Theresa stood holding a large Starbucks. She handed it to him and he was so happy to see her, he pulled her in for a hug.  
"It's so great to see you again, Tee. How are you feeling?" He asked her warmly.  
"Bored, honestly!" She laughed. "I'll be fine. ribs are a little sore but I feel better on my feet than laying around." She added, smiling.  
Bucky, Steve and Tony weren't far behind, and before she knew it, she was pulled into a group hug from them all. They were obviously happy to see her. They all had a laugh and sat at the table. Coulson bit into his footlong sub enthusiastically and let out a satisfied sigh.  
"How did you know?" He said to Theresa, pointing at all the food. She shrugged and smiled.  
"Thank god you're back" He said, taking a big swig from his coffee cup.

 

After Lunch Tony headed back to his lab, and Steve went with Coulson to go over some more paperwork in his office down the hall. Bucky didn't have another recruit due for at least another half hour, so they chatted while strolling back to Training room 14 together.  
"So I didn't get you in trouble with Marcus the other night did I?" Bucky asked, smiling at her with that crooked smile.  
"He wasn't impressed" She said truthfully "But he got over it"  
"He gave me the dirtiest look when I hugged you." He laughed.  
"Haha, yeah he's a bit funny like that. He doesn't like other people touching his things." She joked back. "I guess that's why he gave me this so soon" She said, holding up her hand, pointing to her engagement ring.  
"How long's it been?" Bucky questioned. She looked down at the ground and chuckled.  
"You're gonna laugh, but... Less than a year"  
"That's not too bad" Bucky said back "Engaged less than a year-" He was cut off  
"No I've KNOWN him for less than a year" She said, interrupting him. His jaw dropped.  
"Seriously? That's a whirlwind, even for back in my day!" He said, letting out a hearty laugh.  
"It was one of those things, we actually met the day I started working here! He was waiting to go in for an interview as well and we got chatting, swapped numbers and he took me out. Unfortunately he didn't get the job he'd interviewed for, but he took me to celebrate my job and before we knew it, we'd moved in together and here we are" She explained.  
"So how are things now, is the whirlwind still sweeping you off your feet?" He pried.  
"Bucky! Yes of course things are fine." She said a little insulted. "We have our ups and downs like most couples do..." Her voice trailed off.  
"I'm sorry, that was rude..." Bucky apologized  
"No, it's fine. It's just a touchy subject. He's a wonderful guy - don't get me wrong but he's been a bit moody as of late. Stressed, not sleeping, in and out at all hours. Work has been really demanding. He's a high-up for a computer company." She explained. "Just this afternoon we were chatting, the phone rings, and before I could finish my sentence he was out the door and on a plane to Chicago for a conference. I won't see him for a few days now." She explained, playing with her ring. Bucky frowned.  
"So, party at your house tonight?" He said, teasing her to lighten the mood. She laughed and gave him a playful shove. 

 

Theresa spent the afternoon watching Bucky train a recruit while taking mental notes. She was in awe of how quick he moved, and how strong he was. His face was focused and he read the movements of his students, blocking every strike easily, before returning hits. She was suddenly very grateful that he was on their side. She had heard stories about The Winter Soldier, and from what she'd been told he was very lethal. Completely cold and merciless. He sounded terrifying, and she shivered just thinking about it. How could this cheeky, protective, sweet, funny guy be anything but the loveable Bucky Barnes?  
"Well done Kevin that was some great work" Came Bucky's friendly voice, snapping those awful thoughts out of her head.  
"Just remember - eyes up, okay? Eyes up." He added, bumping fists with the boy he was teaching.  
"See you next week, Bucky" The boy called as he swung his bag over his shoulder and headed out the door.  
"Cya then, Kev!" He called back.  
Bucky pulled his fingerless leather gloves off one by one, and wiped his face with his towel. He pulled the tie out of his hair, giving his head a shake, before taking a long swig out of his water bottle. She hadn't seen him with his hair down.  
Oh my...  
He walked over to her with a strut to his step. He was such a show pony. He held his hand out to her, and she reluctantly took it. He helped her to her feet and walked with her, still holding her hand to the middle of the room. She looked around and back to him, raising an eyebrow, confused.  
"You're next, Doll." He said with a crooked smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Theresa was glad to be back at work, the couple of days off had done her the world of good. Aside from those couple of sore ribs she felt great. Bucky had tried to give her a self defence lesson the day before and it had gone horribly, hilariously wrong. She was way to uncoordinated for any kind of fight training, and was still stiff as a board from the attack.   
Bucky had made her promise to come back for a proper lesson once she was 'fighting fit' again, and she was already thinking up excuses not to go through with it. She'd already made up her mind that she was just a driver, and an assistant. Not a freaking crime fighting soldier or whatever.  
She focused on the road, changing gears again. It was a new car that she wasn't used to, and she desperately wanted the GTO back again. Phil Coulson was sat in the back seat, going over some work on the laptop. She felt like a proper chueffer driving this big 4-door, it crossed her mind to put the glass divider up as a joke, but she shook the idea off.   
"Not long to go now" She spoke aloud as they went under the bridge. She looked up at the sign, they were only a couple of miles from the city center. Coulson was meeting up with an old spy-friend who had worked for Shield many years ago. He had some information for them on Shadow. Not wanting to send it over the internet or give it over the phone, they decided the safest option was to meet somewhere in public and physically hand it over.   
Coulson's phone rang, and he picked it up and flipped it open.   
"Coulson" He said. He sighed, sounding annoyed and rolled his eyes.   
"Yes Tony... Yes ok Tony" He pursed his lips together and shut his eyes. Theresa wondered what Tony was saying on the other end.  
"Look Tony, it's fine. I appreciate the call." She could hear yelling on the other end.  
"Okay.... Okay I'm going now. Bye Tony" He snapped the phone shut and sighed.  
"What was that all about?" Theresa asked. Coulson shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes at the same time.   
"Just Tony being Tony! It's nothing." He answered her and looked out the window.   
Suddenly her phone started vibrating in her handbag. She wasn't permitted to answer it while driving so she ignored it. A minute later it started vibrating again.  
"Someone's trying to reach me, they've called twice" She said to Coulson.  
"Just drive please, Tee. You can check it when we stop." He said back politely. She could feel goosebumps up her arms and she shivered. 'lets just get this done so I can go home' she thought. She needed a good stiff drink after this week.

They pulled into a parking spot out the front of a big conference center, the lights were on and there were people all around. She turned the ignition off and sat looking straight ahead through the windshield. Why did they have to do this at night? It was dark and chilly outside, and it wouldn't be long till the car was cold too. She rubbed her hands together.  
"I'm just going to be right there in that front room" Coulson finally said. "You will be able to see me right through that window, and I will be able to see you. Robert is going to do the upload, hand me a few files, and then we'll be on our way back to the tower." He said. She nodded. She didn't like being left alone, and Coulson picked up on her worry.  
"Don't worry, I'll be a couple of minutes. Lock the door when I'm out and wait here in the car. See you soon." He said before getting out. She reached over and hit the central locking and she watched him like a hawk as he went in, and kept her eye on him as he went into the front room. He shook hands with a friendly looking man in a suit and they both looked over their shoulders before placing the laptop on a table, and inserting a USB. Coulson was handed a folder full of paper, which he flicked through, and the man pointed to a few pages, he must have been explaining what was in there. They chatted briefly before the man removed the USB and they shook hands before Coulson left the room.  
Her phone buzzed again, this time with a text message. She noticed two missed calls from Tony. She wondered what he had wanted, but I guess she would see him in 15 minutes when they were back at the tower.  
"Are you ok?" The message read. It was from Bucky.  
"Yes, all done and both ok. We are on our way back, see you soon" She replied, and tucked her phone back into her bag. She watched Coulson walk over and she unlocked the car, he got in, buckled his seat-belt and smiled at her. She smiled back, relief showing on her face. She locked the car and started the ignition. The friendly looking guy was out front, waving them off as they pulled out. He looked every part the executive on his phone and in his suit. She wondered what kind of fancy car he drove...

"Tony had been trying to call me" Theresa broke the silence.   
"He was concerned for us" Coulson admitted. Tee's hands gripped the wheel a little tighter.  
"He seemed to think there was a chance we were being followed" he said. "I spoke to Robert, he used to be a shield driver as well. He gave me a safer route we could take back to the tower, will take a few minutes longer but it's different to the way we came. It's always good to be unpredictable if there's a risk of a tail" He added. Theresa nodded obediently.  
"You're going to take the third exit, and turn left at the set of lights, follow that through" He said. She knew those roads well, having family that lived in the area when she was a young girl. Coulson continued on with his instructions and Theresa watched the road. She pulled off at the exit when they came to it, and turned right as instructed. She put her foot down and changed gears, looking ahead. They were in a suburban area, older looking apartment buildings down one side of the road, and a train-line down the other. She changed gears again, watching the road and listening to the clack-clack-clack of fingers typing in the back seat. She had her eye on an SUV up ahead coming towards her doing a very messy lane change. Must be a drunk driver. A cigarette butt was flicked out the SUV's window as they passed them. It bounced on the road and went under Coulson's car as they sped along.  
"What filthy pigs" Theresa said out loud, disgusted. There was a loud beep that came from the back of the car, followed by an explosion.  
The car flew sideways, Theresa wrestled the steering wheel but it was no use. The car flipped and rolled over, again and again before coming to rest on it's roof.   
The dust settled and Theresa heard a thump in the back. Coulson had gotten out of his seat-belt.  
"Theresa!" He called "Are you okay!?"   
"I'm ok" She said coughing. "Are you alright?" She choked out.  
"I'm fine, let's get out of here..."   
Theresa couldn't breathe and begun to tug at her seat-belt but it was stuck.   
Her phone had landed on the roof near her, she mashed at the screen with her fingertips and through a stroke of luck, it was returning Tony's missed call.  
A car pulled up in front of them and someone had gotten out. Heavy boots approached them and kicked the back window in aggressively. Theresa reached for her phone, and in the struggle, it had been knocked out of her reach. SHIT! She tugged at the seatbelt, sobbing now. Coulson reached for his gun as a hand shot in and took him by the ankle, dragging him out violently. Theresa screamed.   
The man in the mask was too quick for him, knocking the gun from Coulson's hand and stabbing him in the side with a switchblade. Coulson groaned and struggled to free himself but was punched hard in the stomach, and then again in the face. He was out cold.   
Theresa could see Coulson's feet through the window, and screamed again when they went limp. He was being dragged away. She heard muffled voices and a car door open, and then close again. She struggled like mad to get out of the seatbelt, she was completely helpless and she knew it. She saw the black boots approach her, and crouch down. This was not happening. This was NOT happening. She kicked and screamed when she saw the masked face appear at her drivers window. She could see the switchblade in his hand and he was reaching for her. Dark eyes baring straight into hers, they would haunt her. She struck out at him, missing him on both attempts. Quick as lightening he cut her seatbelt, and she dropped onto the roof of the car, hitting her head on the way down.   
Black...

 

When she opened her eyes she was alone in the car. It was freezing cold and everything was dark. She tried to get up but she was so drowsy. She used her arms to push herself up, but they trembled under her weight and gave out, she hit the ground again with a thud. She felt around to find her phone but it was lost in the debris. She was so tired. She lay still for a few seconds and once again unconsciousness overtook her and she was out. 

Noise. There was something going on outside the car. She heard a piercing metal-to metal ripping sound, followed by a crash, she layed still, unable to open her eyes. She felt the ground shift and cold metal on her face. She opened her eyes and it was Bucky. She must be dead. She was out again. He had been the first one out of Tony's car when he saw Coulson's black Audi on it's roof. He had run over, ripped the door off and crawled straight it.   
"Tee? Baby, open your eyes" he said, voice urgent now. He picked her up very gently and lifted her out.   
"Don't move her, for god sakes don't move her!" Tony called out running towards them, but Bucky already had her out of the car, and on the side of the road.   
"Tee?! Stay with me baby girl" Bucky tried to rouse her. "Somebody do something!!" He snarled, panicking.  
Another car pulled up behind them, skidding as it stopped. A shield medical van and more agents. They ran to Theresa's aid and she was put on a stretcher and loaded into the van. They had to stabilize her before they could go. Bucky paced back and fourth as they worked on her. She opened her eyes and took the paramedic by the wrist.  
"They took him" Is all she said.

After Phil had hung up on Tony, he had tried calling Theresa twice without answer. That was enough reason for him to track her phone, and go after them. Bucky and Steve had gone with him, and he had taken her call. The three of them had heard the whole thing over the phone speaker. Tony had never driven so fast in his life. The phone call had been recorded and they would analyze it when they got back to the tower.   
Shield agents surrounded the car, taking prints, scans, photos and gathering as many clues as possible. There wasn't much more Tony, Steve and Bucky could do at this point. They got in Tony's car and headed back to the tower. They had a lot of work to do, and they had to get Coulson out of there at all costs.

 

Tony had been awake for two days straight trying to figure it all out. Time was slipping away and it worried him. Steve had been by his side helping out as much as he could, but he was more of a 'charge in there all guns blazing' kind of guy. That was fine, if they knew where Coulson was. But Tony being Tony - had a plan.

Bucky hadn't left Theresa's bedside since she'd been brought in. She'd suffered a nasty concussion, and some impressive bruises, but nothing was broken. She had slept the whole first day, and by the second Bucky had been ordered back to his room to get some rest himself. If they had a lead on Coulson, he would need to be rested enough to help out.  
Theresa moaned and her eyelids crept open, slowly letting the light in. Dark eyes materialized in front of her face, and in a moment of terror she screamed and tried to get away. The figure in front of her pinned her down and spoke but she couldn't understand him. Steve came running in suddenly and ripped the guy off her, angrily pinning him against the nearest wall.  
The man threw his hands up to show he was no threat. "I'm Marcus, her fiance" He said. Steve's expression softened and he was quick to apologize.  
"Oh man, I'm so sorry. I heard a scream and-" He shook his head feeling foolish. "Steve" He finally said, holding out his hand. "Steve Rogers"  
"Marcus Hayes" Marcus said, shaking Steve's hand. He turned back to Theresa who had sat up and was trembling.  
"I got on the first flight back, baby" He said, comforting her. She nodded and he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead.   
"Thank you for taking such good care of my girl" He said, holding Theresa's hand and turning to face Steve with a smile.  
"We've all been taking turns checking in on her. Bucky didn't leave her side for the first 24 hours - we had to kick him out" He said laughing.   
"So do we know who's responsible for this?" Marcus said, the mood in the room suddenly changing.  
"It was a car accident" Steve said, keeping his tone level.   
"Tee doesn't have car accidents. In 5 years of racing she never had an accident, and now driving for Shield - two in one week." He said, keeping his voice low.  
"I don't know what you want me to say Marcus." Steve said after a pause.  
"I want to know if you know who's responsible for this. I want some answers." He pushed, looking over at Theresa now. Her lip started to tremble and before they knew it she was in tears. Marcus shot Steve a look.   
"You're gonna tell me or she is, bug guy. Either way someone's gonna talk." He said.   
Steve sighed, a defeated look on his face. Tony would know what to say.  
"I think you'd better come with me, Marcus" He finally said, and he stepped out of the room, Marcus in tow.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve swiped his access card and walked through the door to Tony's lab, Marcus staying close behind him. It was a tech-heads dream in there, full of machinery, computers and of course, Tony Stark himself. Tony looked up and saw the two men enter the room and his face screwed up he slammed his hand on the table. Nobody was allowed in this room, and in walks some random guy who wasn't even on the Shield books.   
"Tony, sorry for interrupting. This is Marcus, Theresa's fiance." Steve said.  
"Yeah, hi." Came Tony's short, annoyed reply "Are you seriously bringing someone into my lab?" He said, turning to Steve. Oh man, he looked pissed.  
"Forgive my intrusion, Mr Stark. I'm just concerned there's a little more going on here than car accidents and I want some answers." He said, raising a brow. Tony laughed, exasperated.   
"TWICE my fiance has not come home this week. Twice." He said aggressively. "What do you know about these so called accidents? Theresa does not have accidents in cars, she's a professional driver. Someone's to blame, and you guys are hiding it. What do you know?" He said, eyes narrow.  
"Okay Sherlock, why don't you enlighten US if you think you've got it all figured out, because I'm sure if we knew what was going on, we would have figured it out, and the person or people responsible would be paying for it already." Tony said, glaring back at Marcus. He knew damned well that Shadow had been responsible for both incidences but he would be damned if he was giving up any inside information to a guy who'd just barged in and demanded it. Tony was a fantastic lier, and kept his mouth shut on all things Shield. That's why Nick Fury had put him in charge until Coulson was found.  
"Look, I'm sorry" Marcus said. "It's been a long week, my girl's laying in a hospital bed, AGAIN, I've just gotten off a flight and I'm a little on edge."  
Tony nodded, he could understand Marcus's annoyance in the whole situation. Hell, he could only imagine if that was Pepper who'd been driving those cars. He shuddered at the thought.   
"You have some amazing tech in here!" Marcus said looking around in awe, brightening the mood.   
"Yeah it's not bad. Nobody's supposed to lay eyes on this stuff." Tony said coolly.  
"My lips are sealed. You'd put me out of a job if this stuff was released onto the market" Marcus said, before adding that he worked for a large computer company. The two men talked computers and technology for a few moments, Marcus asking a heap of questions, to which Tony managed to masterfully skirt around. It was clear Tony was a bit of a hero of Marcus's and before he left, he even asked for an autograph.   
Steve walked him out and Tony locked the door behind them. 

Marcus sat by Theresa, chatting back and fourth with her. She was doing much better already, and Marcus was excited to have her home again soon. Shield was the place Theresa felt safest at the moment, and she had lied and told the nurse she didn't feel well enough to go home yet. They decided a couple more days would be a good idea, but her nurse had told her if she wanted to go home early, she could.  
Of course Marcus wasn't happy about this and suspected Theresa was laying it on a bit thick, but he let her be, and made arrangements to have a few days off work so he could pick her up when she was ready.  
"Feel better soon, honey" He said, planting a kiss on her lips, then then he was gone.

Over the next couple of hours she flicked through TV channels, bored and decided to go for a walk to stretch her legs. She went to the small bathroom and gave her hair a brush and tidied herself up a little. She started to feel more human already. She slipped out of her gown and into a tank top and baggy sweats that sat low on her hips. She had lost weight with all this recent stress. She put a hand over the exposed skin on her belly in between the pants and the top, and regarded herself in the mirror before letting out a sigh. 'who cares anyway' she thought, shrugging as she whipped her hair up into a high ponytail.  
She padded down the corridor barefoot, taking the time to breathe slowly and relax as she went. She was so jumpy, and she hated it.   
She eventually found herself standing in a long hallway, reading a framed newspaper article that was on the wall. It was about Howard Stark and there was a picture of him with Peggy Carter. What a beautiful woman she was. Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming toward her, but because the lights had been dimmed she couldn't see who it was. Her heart-rate shot through the roof and she found herself ducking her head and walking as quickly and quietly in the opposite direction and slipping around a corner. The lights were off down this corridor, the darkness would be an advantage to her. She heard the footsteps quicken. SHIT. She hid behind a large leafy potted tree and flattened herself against the cool surface of the wall, hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds of her breathing. She jammed her eyes shut and froze in utter panic.   
The footsteps stopped.  
"Hey" Came a whispered voice "What are you doing out here?"  
She shrieked and tried to run, slipping on the shiny polished floor. Strong arms caught her before she hit the deck, and suddenly she was held against a muscular tall body, and a hand was over her mouth.   
"Ssshhh, you'll wake everybody up!" Came the whisper again, teasing her. Theresa trembled, she was terrified.  
"It's just me!" The voice whispered again, uncovering her mouth. She was spun around, still in his arms. It was Bucky. He lowered his face and looked at her face to face, his bright blue eyes full of concern, she was shaking like a leaf. She stood with confused eyes and breath heaving for a moment, then collapsed into his chest and cried. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, soothing her.   
She had no idea how long they'd been like that, she pulled away, wiping her eyes.  
"Argh I'm sorry, I feel like such an idiot." She said finally, looking at the ground.  
"You're not an idiot, don't be sorry." He soothed, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Come on, I'll walk you back. You're safe with me." He said, placing a protective arm around her shoulders.

 

"Okay" Tony said, pacing up and down the room running his fingers through his disheveled hair. "The old Hydra base is empty. We know Hydra were looking for Shield intel from the data thefts, but we don't know enough to know where they are..." He said, thinking aloud. He hadn't slept in days and it was effecting him both physically and mentally now. He groaned, shaking his head.   
"I've been through every possible scenario, we've dug for clues, we've torn both cars apart, we've watched what dash footage we could dig up, and spoken to Tee... I... I don't know where to go next." Tony said, frustrated and still pacing. "We need to get THEM to come to US." He finally said after a pause.  
"How are we going to lure them out?" Steve said. "I mean it's a good idea, but don't they already have what they need - our boss?" He added.   
"Hydra are always hungry for more, and Coulson won't give much up" Bucky said, his voice staying low, "Which means they'll come looking again soon"  
"Well..." Tony said. "What intrigues me is why in all the chaos, this Shadow guy has spared our Theresa. Not once, but twice..." He mused.   
Bucky shot him a 'don't you dare' look.  
"What are you getting at, Stark?" Steve snapped  
"Well I recon our masked buddy has a bit of a soft spot, if you know what I mean. He spared her once he got a look at her face after the warehouse attack, and then the night Coulson was taken, he cut her out of the seatbelt." Tony said.   
"She stays out of this!" Bucky snarled, up on his feet now. Tony threw his hands up in defense.  
"ALL I'm saying is that Hydra don't leave loose ends. Sure, spared once - maybe, but spared twice... Think about it." He said.   
"Surely you don't mean using her as bait!?" Steve said, getting angry too. Bucky had formed his hands into tight fists and his metal arm made a low whirring sound as though it was powering up.  
"Easy there, Robocop!" Tony defended himself. "I'm not talking about sending anyone into any danger, so cool it."  
Bucky took a deep breath, closed his eyes and counted to three in his head. Both super soldiers were both on their feet and neither of them was happy with Tony's train of thought.   
"Look, here's what I'm thinking... The last couple of time's she's been out, they've been targeted. I'm not saying we send her out into the snake pit, I'm saying lets bug the cars out with cameras and mics. Her house is bugged already - and it was under her request before you say anything! Lets get speakers in there as well and more cameras. Put her on surveillance. We'll give her a panic alarm she can have hidden on her, and if something happens - one of us can come running." He said.   
"I don't like it, but we don't have a whole lot of choice here." Steve said finally.  
"Okay, well we'll talk to her in the morning and see what she thinks, if anything it's safer for her, I think she'll be happy with that." Tony said with a smile. 

 

The following morning the three of them had spoken to Theresa who thought it was a good idea. She agreed that they should keep it on the down low and not say anything to Marcus. The sooner she went home, the sooner he would be back at work, and the sooner they could get her house secured. 

 

The driver dropped Theresa off at home, waiting as she went in the door. It was late in the afternoon, just before dark. Marcus wasn't home yet, and she was excited to surprise him by coming home early. She got out a bottle of wine and called Marcus from her mobile to see what he was up to. He'd had to go into work but was on his way home. He had offered to come by the building but she lied and told him she was going to have a sleep.   
About half an hour went by and she heard his car in the driveway. He got out and slammed the door harder than he probably should have. Oh no, he was in one of his moods. He unlocked the door and threw it open, utterly shocked to see her standing in the kitchen with a glass of wine.  
"Surprise!" She said.   
He stood there with his chest heaving and covered in sweat. He was wearing a tank top and cargo pants like the ones he wore to his mixed fighting class.   
"I thought you said you were at work?" She questioned.   
"No, I was at training with the guys from work" He corrected, striding to the fridge and gulping water from a bottle.   
"You aren't happy to see me, are you?" She frowned.  
"No, I am, you just surprised me is all." He tried his best to smile. He looked extremely uncomfortable. He was on edge as if he'd been sprung doing something he shouldn't have.   
"I'm sorry, I have to go" He said, turning around and striding out the door.  
"When will you be home? I thought we could-" She was cut off.  
"Late. Don't wait up." Then he left, closing the door hard behind him, making the door-frame shake. She finished her glass of wine and put her lips to the bottle, taking a big swig. After the week she'd had, she needed a drink.

 

Steve lay on his bed, listening to the police scanner he had on his dresser drawer. Any hint of a Hydra crime and he was ready to go with a moment's notice. He was desperate to get his friend out of their clutches. He was tired, it had been a long 3 days and his eyelids were heavy.  
Suddenly there was a call over the waves. The words 'masked assailant' caught his attention. He grabbed his shield, shoved two guns into the back of his pants, his bike key, and he ran. He called Bucky on his mobile as he ran and told him what he knew, before jumping on his bike and speeding into town.   
On arrival the scene looked grim, there were red and blue flashing lights and he counted three bodies on the ground with various fatal injuries, this wasn't a targeted assassination, it was more like a slaughter. They looked like civilians, surely they didn't deserve that.   
He heard screams from the roof of the building he stood in front of, and a woman came flying out the third floor window. Steve ran, jumped and somehow managed to catch her. She was hysterical and didn't want to let him go.   
"He's in there, he's CRAZY" She screamed before collapsing into hysterics. He sat her down gently and ran into the building. He burst through the hallway doors, gaining momentum as he ran. He pulled up sharp when he noticed someone on the ground, they'd been taken down on the way out of their apartment.   
"Oh no..." He sighed. It was a woman he knew from Shield. His heart sank when he recognized her, she had been a friend of his and was on the case trying to find the masked man. She lay in a large puddle of fresh blood, obviously from a savage blow the head.   
Behind her on the floor also dead, was her husband, who Steve knew for a fact was not affiliated with shield. He growled to himself, furious and ran up a set of stairs onto the roof, where he came face to face with the man codenamed 'Shadow'.  
"Who are you, and what do you want!?" Steve demanded.  
The man said nothing, his eyes curving into a wicked smile above his mask as he charged at Steve. It was like the Winter Soldier all over again, minus the long hair and metal arm. They fought hand to hand, evenly matched as though the fight was choreographed. Where the hell was Bucky!?  
The two men circled each other, catching their breath.   
"Who was your target tonight? Was it Lorraine?" Steve called to him, over the wind.   
"Yes." Came Shadow's reply. "Did you like my handy work?" He mused. Steve snarled and launched into the fight once more, the masked man matching him blow for blow. Steve landed a lucky punch, sending the man flying, and flung his shield at the man, hard. At that same moment the Shadow man took out his gun and fired it at Steve. The force of the shield hitting him in the face threw his aim off, and the bullet hit Steve in the knee, making him drop.   
Both men were on the ground. They looked up at each other and Steve noticed the man's mask had been knocked off.   
"Holy shit..." Steve breathed, not believing who he saw.   
"Surprise..." Marcus said, raising his gun to shoot Steve again and again till all six bullets in the barrel had been fired. He was out of ammo. Steve was badly hurt, but still awake and aware. Marcus strolled up to him with a swagger in his step. He struck Steve across the face with the empty pistol.  
"So, here lies the great Captain America! Not so mighty after ALL..." He teased, kicking him as he spat the last word.  
"I'm still alive, you asshole. My guys are on their way, if not already waiting for you on the other side of that door." Steve choked out. "And now we know who you are." He added. Marcus winced, realizing this posed a problem. He backed towards the edge of the building.  
"Well then I guess I better go fetch wifey and we best be on our way out of here" He called to Steve.  
"She'll never go with you and you know it!" He called back. Marcus's lips curled up into a menacing smile and he gave a low chuckle.  
"Goodbye Steve, I'll be back to finish you off later. It seems I'm late for a very important date..." And with that he leaped off the rooftop and was gone.   
Steve pulled out his phone and called Bucky.   
"Where the fuck are you!?" He snarled. Steve never swore. Bucky came through the rooftop door and Steve dropped his phone. Bucky ran to him and tried to help him up, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock.   
"It's Marcus. Shadow is Marcus. Go get Theresa out of there, he's coming for her!" He said. When he looked up Bucky was already gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Have been away a couple of days, hope you like the new chapter. Bit of violence in this one. Thanks for all the hits and kudos, you guys are the best! :) xx  
> -Kaytee B

Theresa was curled up on the couch, and well onto her third glass of wine. Or maybe her fourth - but who was counting! Marcus had pissed her off after she'd tried to surprise him with her coming home early and she'd hoped to have a bottle of wine together and a night in. Well, it was a shame to waste it.  
She had used the opportunity to do some reading up online about the Winter Soldier. She had only heard bits and pieces about him, and wanted to know more. There were a heap of articles, pictures and even a couple of shaky mobile phone videos from the DC attack. She couldn't believe what she was reading, over 2 dozen assassinations... No way could Bucky Barnes hurt another person. There was a photo of him fighting in DC that some lucky photographer had snapped, Bucky looked absolutely terrifying. He was holding a knife and he looked as if he was about to pounce at someone. Those angry eyes...  
She shivered and put the iPad down. She shouldn't be snooping around at this stuff.  
She shook the thoughts out of her mind and skipped into the bathroom, stopping to turn the music up even further on her way.

 

"Why the fuck isn't she answering!?" Bucky raged as he slammed his mobile back onto the dashboard. He aggressively put his foot down even further, face pulled into an intense, determined scowl, lips pursed and jaw tense. The last words Steve had yelled were 'leave him alive'. Bucky wasn't sure if he could keep that promise, especially if Marcus had hurt or threatened her. Still, Marcus was the only one who knew where Coulson was, so if he could knock him out, someone from Shield would be able to come get him.  
He redialed her number, if he could warn her, maybe she could get out and hide or something. The call went unanswered again.  
Bucky screamed in anger, she was in trouble and there was nothing he could do about it. The pedal was against the floor, and the V8 engine was roaring he would be there soon. 

 

Theresa frowned at the bottle. Damn, it was empty. It had crossed her mind to call Marcus, but he was the one who had stormed out for no apparent reason, so she decided she would give him the silent treatment when he got home. As much as she hated to admit it, having a few drinks and dancing to her music had been a fun way to loosen up.  
Marcus and her had very different tastes in music, he loved electric, she loved rock - the harder the better.  
She came back out of the bathroom and walked down the hallway, not looking up till she was in the living room. Oh shit, he was home, and he was angry.  
Marcus strode over to her and snatched the bottle out of her hand, throwing it behind him and letting it smash. He was seething. She turned the music down as much as she could before he snatched the remote from her hand, throwing that too. He grabbed her upper arms hard and slammed her against the wall, glaring at her. She hadn't realized how strong he was, she'd never seen him act aggressively and it was safe to say she was absolutely terrified.  
"Pack your shit, we're going away for a while" He said. His eyes were utterly menacing.  
"But why!? Where-" She was cut off.  
"PACK YOUR SHIT. NOOOWWW" He roared at her, and shoved her into the bedroom, making her fall as he did. Terrified she pulled a big suitcase out, filling it with clean clothes, underwear, socks, shoes and as much as she could, before he picked her up and dragged her to the bathroom and threw the case in after her. She took the hint and threw in deodorant, shampoo, soap and all the toiletries she thought she would need. Shit, she couldn't stop shaking.  
He checked her case, zipped it up, and threw it by the front door. She saw her phone on the coffee table next to the iPad and made a dash for it, but she wasn't fast enough. Marcus backhanded her across the face and sent her flying into the opposite wall.  
The door had flown open during the commotion and Bucky had come running into the room like an angry bull and tackled Marcus, less than a couple of seconds after he hit against Theresa.  
Bucky laid into him, holding Marcus down with his flesh arm, and beating him with his metal arm. Marcus got up and tried to fight back, but Bucky was way too fast for him. 70 years of training had made him a finely tuned fighting machine.  
Theresa watched from her corner on the kitchen floor and all she could think of was what she had read earlier in the night. Yes, Bucky was lethal. There was no doubting that now.  
He held Marcus up by the throat with his flesh hand, and hit him twice in the face with his metal arm. Bucky dropped him to the floor and pulled out his hand gun, shooting him once in each thigh and kicking him hard in the face. He was out cold, and when he came to, he wasn't going anywhere.  
Bucky holstered his gun and rushed over to Theresa who was shaking in the corner on the kitchen floor. She flinched back from him when he offered his hard, and he knew he'd frightened her.  
She was confused, crying and had a bloody lip.  
"I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner" he said to her, placing a hand on her cheek, ignoring her leaning away from him.  
"I know you're confused, but I gotta get you out of here, it's not safe." Bucky reasoned. She shook her head and tried to push him away from her.  
"No way, I'm not going anywhere with you!" She sobbed, and tried to get up to run, but he grabbed her wrist, yanking her back down.  
"You don't have a choice, sweetheart." He snapped. "Here, he will wake up and kill you, or his men will. With me, as I said, you're safe. I don't have time to argue with you. We're going, come on"  
"How do I know I'm safe with YOU!?" She argued back. Ouch.  
"Because I've never done anything but protect you. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be alive." He said. Probably a little harsh, but at least it was to the point. He stood up, and pulled her up by her arm. Why was she fighting him? He didn't have time for this shit. He threw her over his shoulder, grabbed her phone and iPad, the suitcase and headed out the door.  
He put her in the car, buckled her seatbelt and closed the door, setting the child lock first. The suitcase, phone and iPad went in the back and in seconds, he was in the drivers seat and they were on the road.  
He called Steve.  
"Hi, I have her here in the car, we're on our way to a safe-house. Marcus is down, I left him alive, send Shield to get him. Call me when the dust settles." He said. The conversation was brief, and he hung up, resting his phone on the dashboard and putting his foot down. 

 

"Are you okay?" Bucky said, glancing over at her. "Sorry I had to carry you out, but a lot happened tonight that you don't know about. He hurt Steve, and came after you. I had no choice to do what I did." He added, his voice gentle now.  
Theresa nodded, tears flowing from her eyes. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she finally spoke. "Is Steve going to be ok?"  
"He should be fine, he's pretty tough and been through worse. He said.  
"DC?" She asked.  
Bucky glanced over at her, jaw tense and lips pursed. A look of sadness and regret flashed into his eyes. She'd hit a nerve. He looked back to the road without saying a word and put his foot down, changing gears aggressively as they sped into the night.

 

When Theresa woke, her head was resting on the car window and it was light outside. They were speeding along and all she could see were paddocks and trees. She had no idea where they were but she suddenly felt ill.  
"Argh, where are we? Can we stop soon?" She said, yawning.  
"There's a gas station up ahead." He said, nodding up around the bend. Thank god.  
They pulled into a car park and Bucky got out to open the door for her since it had been locked from the outside. She grabbed her toiletry bag from the suitcase and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She walked over to the basin and looked at her face in the mirror. Smudged eyeliner, red eyes and blotchy skin. Not to mention a fat busted lip.  
"This is not a good look for me" She said to herself. She watched the color drain from her face as the ill feeling came back, and she ran to the toilet and threw up.  
"You okay in there?!" Came Bucky's voice from behind the door.  
"Leave me alone Bucky, I'm fine!" She called back, irritated. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, feeling better instantly. She did a little happy-dance when she even found her makeup kit in the bottom of the bag, opening it and giving her face a freshen up. There, human again! She unlocked the door and walked back out into the air. Bucky standing right there waiting for her. She put her stuff back in the car and got in the passenger seat.  
Bucky drove the car to the pump, fueled up and went inside after asking her if she needed anything. He came back with water and Advil. 

They took off again back out onto the open road. It was a quiet trip, neither one speaking to the other the whole way. They stopped once more at a drive-thru burger joint and then a couple of hours later they pulled into a large property. It was an old, run down farm in the middle of no-where. The driveway was long and unsealed, with huge trees on each side that formed a canopy overhead. The house came into view around a slight bend and Bucky parked the car out front.  
Theresa gazed up at it out the window. It had to have been 100 years old if it were a day. It was a double storey with a wrap around balcony. It would have been beautiful back in it's day. Bucky opened her door for her, and took out her suitcase. Together they walked up the rickety steps onto the big porch and Bucky took a key from under one of the boards, and used it to unlock the front door. He gestured for her to walk in.  
The two of them opened curtains and windows, letting the breeze in. It was awkward between them. Bucky showed her around, and explained that this house had belonged to a friend of his who had died and it had been abandoned for a long time. The friend had signed it over to him in his will, and Bucky was the legal owner, but under an alias so that he couldn't be traced back there. Clever.  
"How long are we here for?" She finally asked.  
"As long as we need to be. Could be days, could be weeks." He said back, without looking at her."  
Her heart sank and she let out a breath, she wasn't happy about this. He showed her to a bedroom, and he set himself up in the one across the hall. She hung their blankets out on the balcony to air, and opened the bedroom windows, giving the room a dust with a rag she'd found in a closet. Bucky went outside to hook the gas bottles up. They had gas hot water and cooking, but there was no electricity connected. Theresa was less than impressed.  
By the time the evening had rolled around, Bucky had candles set up around the house, and they'd both had hot showers and gotten into fresh clothes. Theresa had just come out of the bathroom, her hair still damp, and sat on the sofa, drawing her knees up. Bucky wandered over, bringing a blanket out from in the linen closet. He draped it over her, and sat on the sofa beside her.  
Her whole world had crumbled. Friends hurt, her boss missing, her fiance turned out to be a murderer on steroids, and her closest friend... Well, technically he was also a murderer on steroids. Oh, and he'd kidnapped her and taken her hostage. She let out a breath, buried her face and cried, hugging her knees close to her chest.  
Bucky put his arm around her and pulled her close. She could pull away all she wanted but he knew she'd give in sooner or later, and he was glad when she did.  
They sat like that for a long time, she eventually nodded off and he carried her to her room, and tucked her into bed.  
He went out to the car to check his phone, and there had been no word from Steve. He sent a text message saying 'we have arrived safe' and then locked his phone again to save the battery. He spotted her phone on the back seat and the iPad. He brought them into the house, and locked the doors and windows. He sunk into the sofa, clicking the iPad to life, and right there staring at him was the Winter Soldier. Why had she looked that up? No wonder she had flinched away from him and been so frightened when he'd attacked Marcus.  
They'd have some talking to do, come the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one, enjoy! xx

Theresa sat bolt upright in the bed. Breath heaving and a sheen of sweat on her forehead. It was just a bad dream, Marcus hadn't tried to kill her, she wasn't locked in a house after being kidnapped by the winter soldier, or Bucky Barnes, or whoever he was... Oh who was she kidding... Shit, shit, shit.  
Her chest tightened and she felt panic rush over her. She was shaking like a leaf and her breathing wasn't coming back. She stood up and ran across the small bedroom and dug through her bag, she had thrown a Ventolin puffer in there, she was sure of it.  
She stuck it in her mouth and pumped it three times, dragging in the breaths before sinking onto the floorboards with a light thud and leaning her back against the wall. Her ears were ringing and she was shaking, she felt as though she was going to faint. She stared at the floor and concentrated on slow deep breaths.  
"Theresa... Theresa..."  
She looked up and at some point Bucky had burst through the door and was knelt beside her. Of course he freaking was...  
"I'm fine." She said roughly, not looking at him. She took another pump of the Ventolin puffer. There was no way she was getting back to sleep any time soon after all this.  
"Look at me" He said, lifting her chin with cool metal fingers. Her eyes met his for a second before she pulled away. She was getting over this whole 'knight in shining armor' thing and needed to get out. She needed to go outside and thrash the hell out of that fancy car in the driveway and blow off some steam. She needed to figure out what the hell she was going to do when all this blew over - where was she going to live? Argh, it was all too much.  
"Get OFF of me" She growled and shoved him away. He'd landed on his butt and sat there shocked at her little outburst. She pulled herself up and stomped out of the room and into the kitchen, Bucky stomping after her.  
She filled the kettle with water and slammed it down onto the stove hotplates, and lit the burner. Bucky had his hands on the counter, leaning on them and was glaring at her. The candle on the counter-top beneath him lit his face up like a camper telling a ghost story and for a moment Theresa thought he looked downright scary.  
They stood face to face, eyes locked in a stare-off with the island counter and the candle between them. His long hair had fallen into his face, and his mouth was curled into a snarl, she had never seen him look this angry. She crossed her arms, hoping to look intimidating right back at him, but looking into his ferocious blue eyes she could only think of one thing... That picture of the Winter Soldier she saw on the internet the night before. Fear flashed into her face and she broke the stare as the kettle started to whistle.  
"What's your fucking problem?!" Bucky finally snapped.  
"I don't wanna be locked up in this old fucking house against my will is my fucking problem" She snapped right back.  
"It beats the hell out of being dead, sweetheart" He spat.  
"Well I certainly beg to differ!" She glared at him.  
"I saved your life last night. Again. Does that count for nothing to you?! Or do I just bail you out of trouble only for you to throw it back in my face, huh!?" He snapped again. He ran both hands through his hair and tried to calm his breathing, he couldn't remember being so angry since before he'd come out of rehabilitation at Shield.  
Theresa said nothing back as she poured herself a coffee, not bothering to offer him one.  
"I saw you took it upon yourself to dig my past up. Did you have fun doing your little bit of detective work? Get it out of your system did you dollface?" He was being condescending now.  
"Oh get over yourself, Bucky! So I did a bit of reading, so what!?"  
"So you could have come and SPOKEN to me about it, if you were so concerned about who I used to be, instead of snooping around on the fucking internet, and then acting like a bitch about it." Oh wow, he went there...  
"I'm so sorry you think I'm such a bitch. Excuse me if my whole life went to hell in a hand-basket in one night and after a few drinks I type YOUR name into a search engine" She had tears in her eyes now.  
She put the coffee down without taking a sip and hurried back to her bedroom, wiping her eyes as she went. She slammed the door and it immediately opened again, Bucky following her into the room and slamming the door behind him.  
"Why were you looking me up on the internet?" He said, voice softer now.  
"Oh god I don't know" She said, frustrated with herself now. "I'd had the fight with Marcus, he stomps out, and I'm left with a bottle of wine and my thoughts. He'd been acting like a real asshole for a long time, and I've been hanging on by a thread, to be honest-"  
"You were thinking of me" Bucky cut her off.  
"Look, I'll be honest. Yes I WAS thinking of you, yes I wanted to know about the Winter Soldier. I didn't want to ask you because it's obviously going to be something that hits a nerve." She explained.  
"I didn't want to upset you or piss you off. I'm sorry I've been acting like a bitch, me head is all over the place. Coulson's locked up somewhere, my fiance turned out to be a psycho killer, I've been in hospital, twice, Steve's hurt... You're the only one-" He grabbed her by the arms harder than he meant to, spun her around, and shoved her against the door, facing him. The shock of the sudden grab had stunned her into silence and she had stopped mid sentence.  
He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips onto hers, letting them linger there before pulling away, her face still in his hands.  
She opened her eyes and they stood for a moment, only inches apart, trying to read each others expression. 'Oh fuck it' she thought, she grabbed his sides and pulled him against her by his shirt and kissed him back, opening her mouth, letting his tongue in. His left hand wandered and slipped up the back her shirt, possessively pressing her against him harder. The touch of his metal limb making her skin tingle, the kiss becoming hungry and desperate. He leaned into her, pressing his firm body against hers. He came up for air for a moment, stopping to scatter kisses up her neck, she could feel his hot breath under her ear and she quivered.  
He went back in, kissing her mouth again, parting her lips with his tongue, grabbing her ass, hard with his flesh hand, grinding into her as he did. She let out a moan, her body moulded against his, she pressed herself against him, arching her back. There was suddenly a loud crack, and they found themselves falling.  
Bucky managed to rotate his body as he fell so his back hit the floor first and Theresa landed on top of him. They had gone through the bedroom door, completely obliterated it.  
They both burst into laughter, still on the floor and neither of them could stop. Theresa had never seen him let go and laugh like that, and she herself hadn't done so in a long time either, it was such a welcome relief to the week that had just been.  
When their laughter died down they were left looking into each other eyes again, but this time the expression was a soft, relaxed one.  
Theresa had both hands flat against his god-like chest still. She pushed herself up to get off him, and he pulled her back down and kissed her once more, very gently, and then helped her up. There was chunks of wood everywhere as though the door had exploded beneath them. The hinges were still attached to the frame, and a chunk of door still attached to them.  
"Don't move, you'll get a splinter in your foot. Stay there, I'll grab a broom." He said before tip-toeing to the hall closet. Theresa's mind was going a hundred miles per hour, she couldn't believe what had happened. Was it just a once off, spur of the moment thing? Would he want more? Would things be awkward?  
He came back and started sweeping around her, and pushed all the scrappy bits into a corner along with splinters and the few panels that had survived.  
"We'll have to unscrew these hinges in the morning" he said as he folded them back so they wouldn't be walked into for the time being.  
"Thanks Bucky" She said shyly.  
"Don't worry about Steve and Coulson" He finally said. "I'm going to give Shield a call tomorrow morning to see what's happened with Marcus and see if Steve's ok. When Marcus comes to they'll send someone in to get information out of him, and they'll go through the house for phones and any other intell they can find. Coulson will be back with us before we know it." He said. Theresa nodded, not sure what to say.  
"Go on, jump into bed, we'll work it out first thing in the morning." He said, gesturing towards the bed. She slipped in between the covers and pulled the blanket up, laying on her side, a confused look still on her face. Bucky wandered over and sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a loose hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.  
"What's on your mind?" He finally said.  
"Where am I gonna go? I mean when all this is over. I can't go back to that apartment..." She said, her voice trailed off. "That's what I was dreaming about before I woke up. Marcus, the fight, and then the apartment. Everything's so uncertain and I just don't even know where to start." She said.  
"Well, there are apartments at Shield, given the circumstances I'm pretty sure they can put you up in one till we work things out so don't worry. Marcus will be in custody where he can't hurt anyone, and he is our key to finding Coulson. Steve will probably be back in shape in a few days, we're quick healers, him and I" He said, flashing her a grin.  
"Don't worry that pretty little face of yours. Everything will be set right in the next few days, and you are safe as long as you're here with me." He leaned and kissed her on the forehead before standing up.  
"Thanks Bucky, I'm glad I've got you here." She said with relief in her voice. He smiled warmly at her.  
"I'm glad I have you here, too" He said, smiling his cheeky crooked smile. "Sweet dreams, baby. See you in the morning"


	10. Chapter 10

Steve's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he was relieved when he saw the caller ID flash onto the screen.  
"Buck! How are you guys doing, are you both ok?" He said.  
"Hey Steve, yeah we're here in the house, Tee's safe and doing ok. What's the news with Marcus, has he been interrogated?" Bucky asked.  
"No, not yet, he's still unconscious. He's had moments where he's woken, but only a few seconds at a time. Serum has worn off and he's just healing at his own pace... His face is pretty messed up, you really did a number on him."  
"I told you it would be bad if he touched her..." Bucky said, letting out a long breath. "So how long till he wakes up? Can't they just give him something to bring him back long enough to talk?"  
"It doesn't work like that, Buck." Steve said. "There have been Hydra attacks on the building, things are getting pretty heated around here. We suggest you guys stay put where you are. Theresa is the next link to Marcus, so she'll be the one they're after next. That and being Coulson's assistant, she knows everything he does. They're out for blood." Steve warned. "Tony has a plan which will be set in motion when Marcus wakes up. Until then, sit tight and wait for my word. Turn your phones off so the signal can't be tracked. Call me tomorrow morning and I'll update you if there's been a change." Steve said.  
"What's the plan? You guys need to get out of there and to a secure location, now." Bucky ordered.  
"All I can say is there is a plan in motion, Buck. Trust me on this... The line may be tapped." Steve explained. "Call me tomorrow, stay put, and watch your back. I got things sorted here. Oh, and if you have any divices on you that have any internet or location services, disconnect them all. Turn them all off."  
"Ok Steve. Take it easy, man. Talk to you tomorrow." Bucky said, and switched his phone off. 

 

"Alright, lets do this!" Tony said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together as he walked to Marcus's bedside.  
"What's the plan, Stark?" Steve asked.  
A nurse leaned over Marcus and injected something into his IV, and checked his vitals over, making notes on his clipboard. Steve watched her, and then with questioning eyes, looked over at Tony.  
"It's a sedative to make sure he's out. We don't want him hearing our plan." Tony explained, holding up a larger syringe with a gloved hand.  
"These Hydra guys are pretty dedicated to their cause. Most of them have suicide pills hidden in their gum sockets and are ready to risk it all, just to keep Hydra's secrets." He said. "I don't think Marcus is going to talk if we interrogate him. He's too high up, and has too much to loose if he betrays them." He added.  
"There are ways of making them talk" Steve said, lowering his voice.  
"What, torture? Nope, not gonna work. If they're willing to lay their lives down, nipping off a few toes isn't going to make a difference." Tony said with a grin.  
"That's why we're going to let him escape." He added, plunging the needle into Marcus's neck and injecting it all the way, giving Steve a wink.  
"That was a tracker..." Steve said, his eyes lighting up. "Genius" He added.  
Tony smiled his cocky smile and gave Steve a nod before strutting out of the room, pulling the glove off his hand and throwing it over his shoulder.  
The nurse went to work treating the injection site with some anesthetic so that it would go unnoticed when Marcus woke.  
There was a plan in place for that day to move Marcus, Tony, Steve and all the key players to another location to be away from the Hydra attacks, which would be convenient for when Marcus was awake enough to slip out and get back to his own home base. 

 

Theresa rubbed her eyes sleepily as she walked over to Bucky, and leaned against the bench next to him.  
"What did they have to say?" She asked.  
"There are plans in place, and we need to sit tight until we are told otherwise." He said. "Steve couldn't give too much away in case the line was tapped." He added thoughtfully.  
"We need to turn the location services off the iPad and phones too, and they need to be kept switched off. I will call Steve again tomorrow morning for an update." Bucky said, as he put the kettle on the stove.  
Theresa sighed.  
"I don't like this, we're sitting ducks here if they work out where we are." She said, annoyed.  
"You're safe as long as you're with me." Bucky reminded her, sharply. "Nobody knows where we are. Shield don't even know where we are." He added.  
"Thank god for cup soup sachets and black coffee!" She said jokingly. "I'm going to go have a shower." She added.  
Theresa stood under the hot water with her eyes closed, letting it soak her long hair, and for a moment forgot about all her problems. She washed her hair, shaved her legs and got out feeling fantastic. She dressed, tweezed her brows, put on a little makeup and started feeling human again. She towel dried her hair, crunching it into waves and let it hang loose to dry.  
Bucky handed her a cup of coffee when she came out of the bathroom, and walked with her out to the back of the house where there was a big wooden porch, bathed in sunlight.  
Theresa sat on one of the steps, soaking up the rays and letting a lazy smile form on her lips. She was glad in her hurry to pack, she'd thrown in her favorite denim cut-off shorts and tank top.  
"What do you want to do today?" She finally said to Bucky, who was stretched out next to her.  
"We could work on our tans?" He suggested, raising a brow before letting out a chuckle.  
"That sounds divine" She said, laughing back, letting her smile reach her eyes.  
"It's settled then!" Bucky said, still laughing, and whipped off his shirt.

Oh god... Those abs...

"You are such a show-pony" She said, giving him a poke in the side. They both laughed and sat in the sun, finishing their coffee's.  
After a few minutes of sitting quietly, Bucky finally stood up in front of her, and held his hand out to her.  
"Come here" He said to her. She held her hand back, and gave him mock-suspicious eyes.  
"What on earth for, Mr Barnes?" She teased.  
"Seriously, give me your hand and come over here." He said, taking her hand and helping her up. They walked onto the grassy lawn at the bottom of the porch steps. He raised her hands up in front of her, and molded them into fists.  
"Bucky, no. I can't do this" She said, letting her arms go slack.  
"Shut up and do what you're told" He giggled, and grabbed her arms, raising them in front of her face, molding the hands into fists.  
"I feel like an idiot" She said. Bucky rolled his eyes and ignored her. He gave his shoulders a quick stretch, and let his head fall to either side, stretching his neck. He grinned a massive teethy grin, he was clearly enjoying this.  
"Try and hit me." He said, giving a nod. Theresa smiled a crooked smile, and swung her fist out. He stepped aside and she missed him completely, the momentum making her fall forward. Bucky caught her before she hit the ground and erupted into laughter. She wriggled out of his grip and gave him a shove.  
"I told you I'm no good at this!" She protested.  
"You fell because you had your feet together. Spread em out and try again. Keep your eyes open too this time!" He chuckled. She did as she was instructed and managed to plant one on his chest. Her eyes darted up to him for approval, but he shook his head again. He took her fist and pulled her thumb from the center, and placed it around the outside.  
"That was a better hit, but if you have your thumb in the middle, you'll break it. Keep your wrist straight too. You need a straight line from your elbow to your knuckles." He said, nodding for her to go again.  
"Much better!" He praised after she managed to make a stronger hit. She wasn't a bad student after all. He went on to show her other kinds of punches, and how to block and deflect hits with her arms.  
"I can't keep up with you, you're too quick" She grinned at him.  
"You'll get there" He encouraged. They'd stopped for a break and sat on the steps again.  
"I honestly wouldn't have thought you could move like that, you don't move like a big guy" She said, somewhat bewildered.  
"That's a perk of the serum, strength, speed and reflexes. It has been handy to have." He said softly.  
"How do you go controlling your strength, does it ever worry you that you'll hurt someone without meaning to?" She asked.  
"I haven't been close enough to someone I didn't want to hurt to have that problem." He said, after a pause. "Well, that is until last night." He said, cocking his head to one side and giving her a devilish smile.  
Theresa looked at the ground and smiled.  
"You didn't hurt me." She finally said. "The door on the other hand..." She laughed.  
Bucky put his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss on her temple.  
"Told you I'd keep you safe." He whispered to her.

 

Tony was a clever guy. Hydra seemed to keep their distance from them during the daylight hours, so they had made their move late in the morning. They had Marcus strapped to a gurney in a small room in a vacant office building. Marcus would wake, knowing he wasn't at Shield HQ and be able to slip out. Agents were disguised as doctors and Nurses and he was in the second storey. They had orchestrated things for the escape to be difficult enough for him to believe it was legitimate, but it was possible for it to happen.  
Steve looked at his watch, it was just after 5pm now. They had backed off Marcus's sedatives and he would be awake within the hour. Steve and Tony left the building and went to watch and wait. 

 

Marcus's eyes shot open. He was strapped down and in a makeshift hospital room. He knew straight away he had been moved, and that he wasn't at Shield. He also quickly became aware that his serum had worn off and he'd have to use his brain to get out.  
A nurse walked in to check his clipboard, and wrote a few comments on the page, before looking up at him.  
"How are you feeling today Mr Hayes?" He asked.  
"Never been better." Marcus replied sarcastically.  
"Good to hear. I believe Mr Stark and Mr Rogers would like to have a chat with you when they get back." The Nurse added, watching Marcus consider the fact that Tony and Steve were not in the building.  
"Off saving the world, are they?" He asked.  
"I'm not at liberty to discuss their whereabouts with you, Mr Hayes." The Nurse answered, before making more notes in the board, checking the IV and eventually leaving.  
Marcus took the first chance he got to unbuckle the belts around his wrists with his teeth. Very sloppy for them not to strap his neck. He mused to himself, glad he wasn't in the Shield building. This would be a piece of cake.  
He sat up once his wrists were freed and ripped the IV's out. The lack of heart monitors etc would mean he could slip out unnoticed.  
Unfortunately this was not the case when he was spotted in the hallway. A nurse had run at him, and he'd had to fight him off. For a nurse, he sure knew how to throw a punch. He was still easy enough to knock out. They must train everyone at Shield. He took a mental note for the Hydra bosses, and pressed on. He could hear yelling and commotion, someone was yelling down the phone to Tony to get back.  
*WHACK* someone hit him in the face, an agent dressed in navy blue tactical gear. He kneed him in the crotch and ran the other way. Without the serum he'd have to fight dirty. He ran into a room, locking the door behind him, hearing running and commotion coming towards him on the other side of the door. He had to think fast. He pulled a filing cabinet away from the wall. It was a big heavy thing on wheels. He shoved it with all his strength, right out the window. He ran to the edge, looking down. He was on the second level. He said a silent prayer to himself that he wouldn't get hurt, and leaped out, landing on a car roof before rolling off and landing on his bare feet in the broken glass. He ran like crazy down the road, ducking into alley ways to stay hidden. He kept running till he couldn't hear commotion behind him. His feet were bleeding and he was in agony. He ripped the tattered shoes off an old, sleeping homeless man and kept going. He wouldn't leave a trail this way. He kept moving, having only a vague idea where he was. Steve and Tony would be on his trail by now. He'd have to steal a car and get back to Hydra.


	11. Chapter 11

The old house was eerie at night, no wonder Theresa had found it so hard to sleep. The weather was nasty outside, a thunderstorm rolling in and the wind was howling. That certainly didn't make things any easier on her.  
Her nerves were absolutely shot from the events of the last few days, and her head was all over the place from Marcus turning out to be a spy/assassin/bad guy, him trying to kill her, and everything that had happened since then. The part that hurt most was the pieces of the puzzle coming together that Marcus was only with her to get closer to Shield, and knowing their whole relationship was based on lies and deceit. She sure could pick em...  
Her and Bucky had sat up talking on the couch that night, talked about what little memories he had of being the Soldier, what Hydra were like, and even what it was like having a metal arm. Theresa had always been curious of it, and for the first time she'd had the guts to ask him for a proper look - she was surprised he was completely open about talking about it all. She could hardly believe he'd once been shut off, he was certainly chatty with her.   
They'd decided it was time to sleep, him pulling her in for a tight hug and planting a kiss on her cheek before wishing her goodnight. They'd gone into their own rooms, and Bucky had blown his candle out, leaving the house in darkness.  
Theresa giggled to herself when she went to close her door, forgetting that it was no longer there. The house was dark, and she sure as hell couldn't see anything, so she figured it was safe to strip off for bed. She lowered her pants, folding them and placing them on the dresser, took off her socks and slid her shirt off, over her head. She pulled the tie out of her hair, before shaking it out, and took her bra off before sliding a tank top on, and climbing under she sheets. Her eyes had started to adjust to the low light and she could see shadows in her door way. She jammed her eyes shut and shook her head. She was safe here, nobody was going to hurt her. She needed to get a grip.  
She closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

 

Bucky laid bare-chested on his bed, staring at the roof, listening to the wind howling outside, and the girl in the bed across the hall tossing and turning in her sleep. He knew what it was like having nightmares, and often saw the faces of his victims in his sleep, pleading for their lives. It made him feel sick thinking about the amount of times he had pulled the trigger on someone and felt nothing for them. Why couldn't they wipe THOSE memories, rather than all his happy ones. It just wasn't fair. He thought about Coulson, and what he must be going through. He hoped Tony's plan was a good one, whatever it was. 

 

Theresa screamed as she sat up in bed. They were after her, Bucky was gone and Marcus had his fingers locked around her throat. She couldn't breathe. Panic had set in, but no sooner had the scream left her, Bucky had come running into the room and scrambled across her bed to take her in his arms. Her head was spinning and she was shaking like crazy. She struggled against him, still not sure if she was awake or still dreaming.  
"Hey, shhh, it's okay. It was just a dream" Came his soothing voice. She relaxed and went limp in his arms, fighting tears back. Why was it so damned hard to just relax and breathe!?   
She reached up and put her arms around his neck, letting him hold her tightly and her tears finally spilled out.   
"I'm sorry" she sobbed to him, not sure what else to say. She felt like an idiot and was sure she'd woken him up again.  
"Don't be sorry." He whispered back. "I know what it's like."   
She lowered her arms, letting her hands slide past his shoulders and over his chest. She looked down, utterly embarrassed not only that she'd woken up screaming, but that she'd cried again. She never cried usually. He raised his flesh hand and lifted her chin so they were eye to eye. "Talk to me" he said.  
"Marcus had me, and there were more coming. You were gone..." She whispered, her voice breaking.  
"I'm not going anywhere." He said, tucking a loose hair behind her ear, and giving her a reassuring smile. She nodded, biting her lip still trembling from the nightmare. She was so on edge.   
"What do I always tell you?" He asked, leaning towards her, locking his eyes to hers.  
"You'll keep me safe..." She whispered. The words had barely left her lips before he'd leaned over kissed her. She took his face in both her hands and kissed him back, opening her mouth, letting his tongue slip in. He'd pushed her back onto the bed and had ended up on top of her, one arm snaked around her waist, his cool metal hand on her back, and the other arm on the bed, holding his weight off her.   
He pulled back, looking her in the eyes and watching a smile cross her lips. He smiled his crooked smile back to her and she giggled.  
"This keeps happening" She said, keeping her voice at a whisper. He nodded his head and let out a chuckle, "It does, doesn't it?" he said, kissing her on the forehead affectionately.  
"I kinda like it" She said back, being cheeky now.   
"So do I" He purred back.  
There was a loud crack outside as a tree branch came down in the wind, making Theresa jump with fright. She was sitting up, her heart was racing again, she hated being so rattled.  
"Come on, lay down. Lets get some sleep." He said, laying behind her, and pulling her in close to him with his arm over her protectively.   
"I'm not going anywhere." He said. She let out a deep breath and relaxed.  
"Thanks Bucky." She said.   
"Anytime, doll." He whispered back and kissed her cheek. 

 

Tony had been up all night watching the signal from the tracker move on the grid. It had stopped at dawn, and after sending undercover teams out on a stealth mission to check on Marcus's whereabouts. It was determined that he was in hiding now that it was daylight out, and most likely getting his rest up to continue on to the hydra base, come the night time. He hadn't been able to steal a car, and he was incredibly weak from not only the beating Bucky had given him, but also from the serum depleting from his body.   
Shield would be watching to make sure he got back to Hydra safely, and intervene undercover if he needed help.   
Steve had dropped by Tony's lab to watch for a while, but Tony had sent him back to his quarters to rest. Once they had the location of the Hydra base, a team would be ready to go in to retrieve Coulson, and Steve would lead them.  
The recruits had been briefed and were ready, the cars fueled and the guns loaded with ammunition.   
Tony had one of his suits ready to go, but he would need rest too. Pepper had told him off for not sleeping the night before. He decided to set up an alarm to go off if Marcus' bleep on the grid moved more than 20metres. He figured Marcus would be pretty banged up, and needing rest for his next leg of the journey.   
Tony made his way to the corner of his lab where a large couch sat. Pepper had put a pillow and blanket in the draw under the coffee table. He smiled, thinking of her, pulled out the quilt and decided to get some shuteye.

 

The sun beamed into Theresa's bedroom window making her squint as she woke up. She yawned and stretched, only to realize she was being pinned down by a big metal arm. She smiled to herself rembering Bucky comforting her the night before - and that steamy kiss...  
He stirred behind her and she felt the arm come to life as it pulled her in so she was pressed against him. He sleepily mumbled something into the back of her neck and she giggled. She felt so safe in his arms.   
She lay with him for a few minutes before deciding it was time to get up. She rolled over so she was facing him and watched as he opened those deep blue eyes.   
"Hi there" He purred.  
"Hi" She said, a smile forming on her face. "We should get up, and you need to call Steve." She added. Bucky nodded, kissing her on the forehead before rolling over and stepping out of bed. Theresa gathered some fresh clothes and headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and starting the shower up.   
Bucky had the kettle on the stove, ready to make coffee for them both. He had switched on his phone and checked his messages, nothing much on there. He dialed Steve's number and pressed the phone to his ear.  
"Hello?" Came Steve's tired voice.  
"Hey, it's Buck. What's news?" Bucky said.  
"Plan is in action. It might pay to keep your phone switched on today, in case I need to update you."  
"No problem, is there anything I can do from here?"  
"No, we've got it under control at the moment just playing the waiting game. Just be on your guard and make sure you're both safe. It probably wouldn't hurt to get yourselves ready in case the time comes to make a move." Steve said.  
"Okay, got it. Take care and keep me updated."  
"Thanks Buck, you too."  
The call was short and sweet, as they all had been over the past couple of days. Steve had been concerned that the line may have been bugged, so there wasn't a whole lot of information he could give away over the phone.   
Bucky stretched and peered out the window. The storm from the night before had passed but it was still raining outside and the house was somewhat chilly. 

Theresa was towel-drying her hair in the bathroom after pulling on her skinny jeans and a tight fitting long-sleeved top. So strange how the weather had been so warm and sunny yesterday and now looking out the window it was raining and cold. Gotta love the springtime!  
She rubbed the steam off the mirror and gazed at her reflection. A pang of guilt rushed over her, she shouldn't be flirting and carrying on with Bucky the way she was. Not with everything going on, Coulson still kidnapped. For Christ sakes she was still engaged three days ago. She leaned on the counter, hanging her head and she let out a sigh.   
It was just flirty banter, it wasn't going anywhere... Was it?   
She shook her head, why did she have to over analyze everything? She'd only met Bucky a couple of weeks ago and didn't really know him from a bar of soap. She put on some mascara and tied her hair back in a high messy bun, frustrated at herself. Her head was so scattered, she couldn't even remember a time where she was so all over the place.   
When she walked out of the bathroom, Bucky was there pouring a coffee for each of them.   
"What's wrong?" He asked, reading her expression straight away.  
"Just the usual" She said, jokingly as she lifted herself to sit on the bench beside him. "Have you spoken to Steve?"  
"Yeah, just got off the phone with him" He said, handing her a steaming mug. "Tony's plan is in action, and we have to get ready to make a move, should the call come through." He explained.   
"Steve's asked me to keep my phone switched on." He added.   
Theresa nodded, taking a sip of her coffee, closing her eyes and enjoying it. They stood quietly for a couple of minutes before Bucky finally spoke up.  
"Is it me? Am I annoying you, I can back off if you need." He said.   
Well, he certainly was straight to the point!  
"Oh god no!" She said, giving him a nudge. "You've been great to have around. To be honest my head is just all over the place with Coulson and Marcus and..." She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.   
"You're great, Bucky. Really you are. I guess I'm feeling a little bit guilty about enjoying myself when there's so much going on..." She said, lowering her head. She put her coffee down and put out her hand. She was still wearing her ring, it was just habit. She slid it off her finger and held it up, gazing at it.  
"This still meant something 3 days ago..." She whispered.  
Bucky frowned, taking it from her, and sliding it back onto her finger.   
"Don't worry about it. Take it off when you get home, when you're ready to." He said.   
"The thing is, I AM ready to take it off. I don't want anything to do with Marcus. I'll pawn it when I get home, and I guess that will pay for the bond to a new apartment." She said, with a shrug.  
"I don't trust people easily. The last few times I've trusted someone, It's almost gotten me killed. Marcus isn't the first one to try and permanently knock me off the grid..." She said with a smirk. "I'm just frustrated to have let my guard down to the wrong person again."   
Bucky looked into her blue eyes and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.   
"You're safe with me." He said, his face soft and sincere. She let out a sigh and smiled. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm going to go take a shower. We should gather up our things and get ready to make a move." He added. She nodded, and he made his way into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.   
Theresa went about tidying the house, gathering up anything they'd brought with them, packed her clothes into her suitcase, leaving out her leather jacket and ankle-boots.   
She made the bed, the thought of Bucky staying and holding her all night bringing a smile to her face.  
There wasn't much to pack up as they hadn't spread themselves out much. The house was tidy, and it sounded like Bucky was done in the shower. She put some oats on the stove for them to have for breakfast. They weren't great without milk, but it was food none-the-less and they'd become grateful for what they had in those few days.   
By the time Bucky got himself dressed and had come out of the bathroom, there was a hot bowl waiting for him, and they both eagerly dug in.   
Theresa washed up while Bucky tidied his room and shoved his laundry into a bag to take home. They loaded the car up, and now all they had to do was wait for Steve's call.   
Theresa curled up on the couch, pulling the old quilt over her and up to her chin. Bucky came to sit by her with a coffee for each of them.  
They sat quietly just enjoying their hot drinks and watching the rain running down the windows.   
"So... Tell me about yourself Bucky Barnes." She said, breaking the silence. He chuckled lightly.  
"There's not a whole lot to tell, really. What do you want to know?" He asked. "I'm an open book."  
"I don't know... Do you remember much about your time before Hydra?" She asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to..." She added quickly. He waved his hand to show he wasn't bothered.  
"Don't be silly, ask away! Um, to be honest there are only bits and pieces of memories from those days. Being wiped so many times really took it's toll... I remember Steve wanting to enlist, and he did it over, and over and over... He was only a little guy back then." He said fondly. "We used to go out dancing, I'd try and help the poor guy out by bringing a date who had a friend for him" He laughed.  
"Oh, bit of a ladies man were we!" She said, joining in with his laughter.   
"Noooooo... Well maybe a little. I don't remember much of that, but Steve tells me I was very charming. Women back then loved a man in uniform." He said looking down at his arm. "Not so much now though, with THIS" He said, holding his hand out.  
"Some girls might think it's kinda badass!" She suggested.   
"Badass, eh? I kinda like that!" He said, giving a cocky smile.  
"They say chicks dig scars. Scars are what's left when you go through something, and come out stronger... So there you go - it shows you have strength." She said. He gave his arm a flex and winked at her. They both burst into laughter...  
"So nothing else you can remember?" She finally said when the laughs died down.   
"I remember bits and pieces from the train, I remember the moment I fell, but not the fall itself. Or the landing, thankfully... I remember blood in the snow, being dragged out by Russian soldiers and then finally waking up on a stretcher with lights in my face. I remember seeing my metal arm for the first time, and then just... Anger." His voice dropped. Theresa's hand had found his in those last few seconds and was holding it, reassuringly.  
"I don't remember where the missions took place, who the targets were or why they needed to be killed. I remember killing them though. I shot them, strangled them, slit their throats, broke their necks... Some were easier than others. Some were quite violent, but they all met the same end. I was a very, very good killer." His head was hung in shame as he spoke, and his grip on her hand was getting very tight.   
"I see their faces in my nightmares, pleading for their lives... I felt nothing for them, just killed them without blinking. Now there's nothing but guilt, anger and shame. I wish I could take back everything I did..." His voice was almost a whisper.   
Theresa pulled him into a tight hug, she couldn't believe he'd confided so much in her. She clenched her jaw and fought back the tears that had threatened to fall.   
"I'm so, so sorry Bucky." She said, kissing his cheek affectionately. "What Hydra did to you was absolutely disgusting. To make a person do all those horrible things, wipe your memories and manipulate you... The Winter Soldier is not Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier is Hydra. You're not the one who's responsible for those deaths, they are." She said.  
Bucky took a deep breath, It wasn't easy for him to open up about those years, and Theresa knew it. She pulled away from the hug, holding his hands in her face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.  
"Thank you for opening up to me. I know it's not easy. You're a good man, Bucky. Don't ever think otherwise, not even for a second." She said, staring into his eyes. She kissed his lips tenderly, and he smiled at her when they pulled away.   
"You're a great gal too." He said back to her, and she let out a giggle.   
"Okay, your turn." He said. "Tell me your story"  
She let out a deep breath and brushed a loose hair back off her face.  
"So, when my Dad was still alive, he was a race car driver. Absolutely amazing, ice-water in his veins. " She said with a smile. "He taught me everything about driving, and by the time I was 16 I was racing competitively. Low level of course, but I was all set up and on my way to being a successful professional driver."  
"By the time I was 17 I was racing against grown men, and making a name for myself. I was paying my dues and trying to get a contract with a great team... Dad had his accident around that time - formula 1 crashes tend to be pretty intense, and he didn't make it." She said, drawing a breath in, and letting it out slowly.   
"Racing is a competitive industry, and after Dad died I didn't have many contacts left. I was dumped by my sponsor not long after that, and couldn't fund my passion for racing anymore. I didn't want to move in with my only Uncle, So I did the only thing I could come up with - stole a car and ran." She said, with a shrug.  
"Got involved in some street racing, and before I knew it I was driving some pretty high-powered cars for some pretty sketchy people to pay my way. Drug dealers, mafia, that sort of thing. I was their gang leader's girl, it was like being a celebrity. Won a lot of races, made a lot of money. It was a champagne lifestyle for a few years until I walked in on him in bed with a younger girl..." She explained, cringing a little at the memory. Bucky's nodded and listened intently.  
"I was hurt, wanted to make him pay, so I lost a couple of races that cost him dearly... But these sort of people aren't forgiving. I was kicked out of the house, I had nothing but the clothes on my back, and a car that was mine. I took off into the night and out of the blue 2 very high powered coupes came up behind me. They shot out my drivers side wheels, rammed me and I lost control. My car flipped 6 times and slammed into a tree. They took off and left me there for dead." She said, sighing. Bucky looked furious and his hands were clenched into fists.   
"Then what happened?" He asked.  
"Coulson saw the whole thing. Pulled me out, and took me in. I told him my story and he helped me find a place to rent and get back on my feet. A couple of months later he set me up for an interview to become his driver, and I got the job. I drove for him for a couple of years, his assistant moved away and I ended up doing some paperwork for him on the side. Not long after that I interviewed for his PA position, and the rest is history." She said.  
"I'm glad Coulson found you when he did..." He said, taking her hand.   
"Me too." She smiled.   
They sat getting to know each other and swapping stories for most of the day, Bucky checking his phone every hour or so for messages.   
He was anxious to get out there an help Steve and Tony infiltrate Hydra. They had to get Coulson out, and now he was more determined than ever.


End file.
